Take Action

Updated June 30, 2008

Your responses to the initial call for action have made a difference! But further advocacy is needed. Please continue to urge the repatriation of Omar Khadr to Canada from Guantanamo Bay prison, so that he can benefit from the protection and due process of the Canadian criminal justice system.

Sub-Committee Recommendations

In early June, individuals and groups across The United Church of Canada were urged to contact the Chair of the parliamentary subcommittee on International Human Rights, Scott Reid, requesting the committee recommend Omar Khadr's repatriation to Canada from Guantanamo Bay prison. Our advocacy on this issue has made a difference, but further action is needed for the federal government to implement the sub-committee's recommendations.
In its recently published report* the sub-committee

• recommends that the Government of Canada demand the immediate termination of U.S. Military Commission proceedings against Omar Khadr
• expresses its objection to the position stated by the United States that it reserves the right to detain Omar Khadr as an "enemy combatant" notwithstanding an acquittal or the possible termination of proceedings
• recommends that the Government of Canada demand Omar Khadr's release from U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay to the custody of Canadian law enforcement officials as soon as practical
• calls on the Director of Public Prosecutions to investigate, and, if warranted, prosecute Omar Khadr for offences under Canadian law
• recommends that the Government of Canada take such measures as are necessary to ensure that possible security concerns are appropriately and adequately addressed upon the repatriation of Omar Khadr
• calls on the Government of Canada to take appropriate measures that are consistent with Canada's obligations under Article 7 of the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and with Canadian law

In particular, the subcommittee calls on the relevant Canadian authorities to ensure that an appropriate rehabilitation and reintegration program is developed for Omar Khadr, which takes into account legitimate security concerns. To the extent necessary, such a program could place judicially enforceable conditions on Omar Khadr's conduct.

Background

Omar was a 15-year-old Canadian captured in Afghanistan. He has been held in Guantanamo Bay prison for the past six years, where he has received cruel and inhumane treatment. He now faces a military trial in the United States.
In January 2008, the Executive of the General Council of the United Church requested that Prime Minister Stephen Harper intervene with the Government of the United States on behalf of Omar Khadr. While acknowledging the complexity of the situation, the United Church believes that Khadr's age at the time of capture means that he should be treated as a child soldier involved in war crimes, as defined in article 38 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child*, to which Canada is a signatory. As well, the fact that he is a Canadian citizen further compels us to seek his repatriation to face release or due legal process under the Canadian criminal justice system.

Further Action

The government is now deciding how to respond to the subcommittee's report. Mail or fax letters, call, or e-mail Prime Minister Stephen Harper to affirm the subcommittee's recommendations that Khadr be repatriated  and to urge him to implement them as soon as possible. Make the following points:

• The parliamentary subcommittee on International Human Rights supports Omar Khadr's repatriation
• Omar Khadr is a child soldier as defined by the United Nations.
• He is a Canadian citizen and is entitled to Canadian legal process.
• Omar Khadr should be repatriated to Canada.

Please mail, fax, or e-mail your letters to:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Tel: 613-947-2277
Fax: 613-947-2278
E-mail: Stephen Harper

Please send copies of your letters to:

Your Member of Parliament*

Also please copy:

Barbara Lloyd
Program Coordinator, Public Witness
Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit
The United Church of Canada
3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300
Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4
Tel: 416-231-7680 ext. 4196
Toll-free: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 4196
Fax: 416-231-3103
E-mail: Barbara Lloyd