Juno News - December 15, 2018Omar Khadr's continued ingratitude
Episode Stats
Summary
Andrew Lawton talks about Omar Khadr's latest request for bail restrictions to be eased, and why he should be allowed to walk the streets of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He also talks about Khadr s new settlement of $10.5 million, and what it means for his case.
Transcript
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As far as I can see, no one has ever told Omar Khadr no.
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When he asked for millions of dollars, the government got it.
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When he asked to be released from Guantanamo, he got it.
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When he asked to be released from prison and put on bail, he got it.
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And when he's asked to have bail restrictions eased, he's gotten it.
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So for that reason, I'm not optimistic that the judge will shoot down his latest request,
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which was to remove the few restrictions on his bail that are still remaining,
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such as not having a Canadian passport and not talking to his sister,
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Khadr wants to be able to have unrestricted, unsupervised contact with Zainab
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He also is walking around the streets of Edmonton right now,
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a very wealthy man after receiving a settlement of $10.5 million from the federal government.
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But he says that living like that under the bail restrictions that have been put on him
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is just an extension of what he experienced at Guantanamo Bay.
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Wait, wasn't he saying that he was being tortured at Guantanamo Bay?
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My idea of torture is not walking around Alberta with $10.5 million.
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I mean, maybe a winter in Alberta is kind of torturous,
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but not in the literal sense of what Khadr has said has been going on at Guantanamo Bay.
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And further, he said in his application in the court that he didn't think it would take so long
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and he's supposed to be done and free right now.
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And he thinks that, you know, the timeframe of this is just a little bit too slow for his liking.
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Now, one of the things we know here is that Sergeant Christopher Spear
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didn't have the luxury of a long, drawn-out process.
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Omar Khadr allegedly, and by his own admission and confession,
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declared himself the judge, jury and executioner and killed Christopher Spear in the field.
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So for Khadr now to say that things aren't moving on his timeframe
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shows what is generally an ingratitude and complete and utter arrogance
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that he has been espousing throughout his entire legal ordeal in Canada.
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But further to that, for him who is still technically on bail
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with a military conviction on record by his own confession
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to say that, you know, the bail conditions are just so restrictive,
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He has been, by all intents and purposes, able to resettle and reintegrate in Alberta.
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He's got a wife, he's got a new family and his lawyers, he's got a lot of money,
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and he's got an entire cheerleading squad of media and liberals in Canada.
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But he says that this is no worse than Guantanamo Bay.
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Well, if that's the case, let me be the first to buy you a one-way plane ticket back.
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For the True North Initiative, I'm Andrew Lawton.