Omar Khadr

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Omar Khadr : biography

September 19, 1986 –

Khadr was transferred to Guantanamo along with Richard Belmar, Jamal Kiyemba and other captives on October 28, 2002, although Canadian officials were not notified as promised.CTV News, , October 31, 2002 Shackled and fitted with surgical masks, painted-over goggles and ear protectors to ensure sensory deprivation, he recalled being kicked when he tried to stretch his legs.

Time at Guantanamo

Muslim [[chaplain James Yee recalled Khadr slept with an English Mickey Mouse book clutched to his chest, which he’d been given by an interrogator.]]Khadr arrived at Guantanamo Bay on October 29 or 30, 2002, suspected of being an enemy combatant. He was recorded as standing 170 cm (5′ 7") and weighing 70 kilos (155 lbs), and recalled the guards said, "Welcome to Israel".O.K. v. Bush, 377 F. Supp. 2d 102; 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13758 at 3, Despite being under 18, he was treated as an adult prisoner from the beginning at Guantanamo. Officials considered him an "intelligence treasure trove," as his father was suspected of al-Qaeda activities, and the youth had personally met Osama bin Laden. They thought he might be able to offer answers about the al-Qaeda hierarchy, although Omar Khadr was 10 years old when he met bin Laden.

Khadr initially spent much of his time in the prison hospital, where he spoke with the Muslim chaplain James Yee, although he didn’t seek any religious counseling. In February 2003, he wrote to his grandparents in Scarborough, Ontario, saying, "I pray for you very much and don’t forgat me from your pray’rs and don’t forget to writ me and if ther any problem writ me".Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star, "Canadian faces murder charges at a military tribunal", January 8, 2006

On January 21, 2003, American military interrogators received a new standard operating procedure, and were told that they had to "radically create new methods and methodologies … needed to complete this mission in defense of our nation".

In February 2003, Canadian Foreign Affairs intelligence officer Jim Gould and an official from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) were allowed to interrogate Khadr.Shephard, Michelle, Toronto Star, , August 20, 2007 For three weeks prior to the Canadian visit, the US guards deprived Khadr of sleep, moving him to a new cell every three hours for 21 days in order to "make him more amenable and willing to talk".

Gould brought Khadr a Big Mac value meal, and the government said the visit was to "to ascertain Khadr’s well-being." His attorney Nate Whitling argued that "(Foreign Affairs) is suggesting that the visit was actually for (Khadr’s) benefit, but this is not the case". His attorneys applied for and obtained an injunction from Justice Konrad von Finckenstein of the Federal Court of Canada to prevent CSIS from interrogating their client in the future.Federal Court of Canada, Khadr vs. Canada. May 2005 The following month, a briefing from the Foreign Affairs department summarised Gould’s findings, stating that Khadr was a "thoroughly ‘screwed up’ young man. All those persons who have been in positions of authority over him have abused him and his trust, for their own purposes." Protesting that DFAIT and CSIS had been allowed to interrogate Khadr, but not the RCMP, Supt. Mike Cabana resigned his post in Project O Canada.Pither, Kerry. Dark Days: The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror, 2008.

Assistant Director of CSIS William Hooper assured the Canadian public the interrogation was not intended to secure intelligence for a United States prosecution. He said the information was freely shared with the Americans and the Canadians did not secure any guarantees, such as foregoing potential death penalty charges., CTV News, April 9, 2005

For most of 2003, Khadr had a cell next to the British detainee Ruhal Ahmed; the two often discussed their favourite Hollywood films, including Braveheart, Die Hard and Harry Potter. Ahmed later recalled that while after some interrogations Khadr returned to his cell smiling and discussing what movies he had been shown, other times he returned crying and would huddle in the corner with his blanket over his head. In the early spring of 2003, Khadr was told "Your life is in my hands" by a military interrogator, who spat on him, tore out some of his hair and threatened to send him to a country that would torture him more thoroughly, making specific reference to an Egyptian Askri raqm tisa ("Soldier Number Nine") who enjoyed raping prisoners. The interrogation ended with Khadr being told he would spend the rest of his life in Guantanamo. A few weeks later, an interrogator giving his name as Izmarai spoke to Khadr in Pashto, threatening to send him to a "new prison" at Bagram Airbase where "they like small boys".