I can't begin to express my anger and frustration at the recent headlines surrounding the Omar Khadr trial. Not only should this trial never have been on the plate in the first place, but it's too late for any meaningful amount of justice to be done. As a matter of fact, the trial itself is injustice incarnate.
Even though the psychiatrist witness mentioned in the above news story link is clearly a stupid, racist fuck head, I agree that rehabilitation is less likely now for Omar. But like it's a surprise?! DUH!?! What chance would you have after eight years of your young life being wasted in a centre for all things Al Qaeda, not to mention having all of your human rights stripped from you??
Let's try something (fun game time!!!)... Imagine yourself at the age of 15. Now try to picture yourself in a war zone at this age (high school was bad enough, eh? EH?), dead bodies around you, guns firing at close range, grenade blasts all around you - one sending shrapnel into your left eye, rendering it useless for the rest of your life. Can you even begin to speculate your state of mind? Or what your actions might be?
Here is an image of Omar the day he was taken into illegal custody by the U.S. military (see below for an explanation of his injuries):
BACKGROUND!
What is said to have happened is this: firing was happening from both sides (war zone, and all), a grenade was lobbed over a standing wall and killed a U.S. soldier. Another soldier positioned himself with a good view inside, saw a man with a pistol and shot him in the head. As he approached, he saw a boy on his knees, wounded, facing away from the firing, and he shot him twice in the back. When the boy regained consciousness, he begged to be killed.
Because he spoke to them in English, paramedics rushed to save his life, only to send him to a prison of terrorists and destroy the rest of his life slowly, ruining his fixable, young mindset along the way. Only now, 8 years later, has Omar expressed admittance in causing the death of Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer. No one knows what actually happened.
The main cause of my rage? Both Canada and the United States signed and ratified an optional protocol under United Nations international law of human rights called the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in July of 2000. The overview of the commitments we agreed to can be found here. Here's a little taste for you...
"11: To ensure that children under 18 years of age who are or who
have been unlawfully recruited or used by armed forces or groups
and are accused of crimes against international law are considered
primarily as victims of violations against international law and not
only as alleged perpetrators. They should be treated in accordance
with international standards for juvenile justice, such as in a frame-
work of restorative justice and social rehabilitation."
I don't care who his parents are, I don't care what ties he has to Al Qaeda because of them, he was a CHILD! We have laws that protect children, regardless of who they were born of or what their parents or uncles want them to do for a living. Not to mention he was and still IS a Canadian citizen, no matter which way you slice it. This was all wrong from the get go, confirmed by our own Federal Court who released a statement that Omar's imprisonment was a CLEAR VIOLATION of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that he should be extradited immediately - to which our lovely Prime Minister and our lovely minister of Foreign Affairs thumbed their noses (GRRRRR! I CAN'T STAND ANY OF THEM !!!!).
Of course Omar has little chance in life now... He has spent 8 years stewing in anger and being given reasons day after day to truly believe his childhood brainwashing. We can't even confirm he injured anyone! And even if he did... honestly, if someone were attacking me in a war zone, or my family, or friends, and a grenade was nearby, I can't say for sure that I wouldn't use it myself.
No quote for this one, I am spent.
