General News and Announcements

June 30, 2010

The United Church of Canada has written letters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and United States President Barack Obama regarding the upcoming trial of Omar Khadr by a United States military commission.

Omar Khadr is a Canadian citizen. He has been detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since he was 15 and is still considered a child soldier by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which Canada is a signatory. During seven years in custody, he has been deprived of basic human rights, without trial or proof of the accusations against him. The Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed that Khadr's constitutional rights, protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, have been violated.

The letters draw on the United Church's values of clemency, mercy, and the power of restorative justice to mend deep divisions between individuals, peoples, and nations. It calls on the Canadian and American governments to

• act to immediately repatriate Khadr to Canada
• if he is not repatriated, try him in a civilian court, not a military one, in conformity with international standards
• treat Khadr in accordance with obligations under international law, particularly given that he was 15 when he was detained

This letter is a continuation of previous appeals from the United Church for Khadr's repatriation, and a resolution passed at the 40th General Council in 2009 called for his return. To learn more, visit Amnesty International Canada’s call to action.