Juno News - Omar Khadr's continued ingratitude

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.

00:00:00.000 As far as I can see, no one has ever told Omar Khadr no.

00:00:04.000 When he asked for millions of dollars, the government got it.

00:00:07.000 When he asked to be released from Guantanamo, he got it.

00:00:10.000 When he asked to be released from prison and put on bail, he got it.

00:00:13.000 And when he's asked to have bail restrictions eased, he's gotten it.

00:00:17.000 So for that reason, I'm not optimistic that the judge will shoot down his latest request,

00:00:22.000 which was to remove the few restrictions on his bail that are still remaining,

00:00:26.000 such as not having a Canadian passport and not talking to his sister,

00:00:31.000 who's a terror sympathizer and supporter.

00:00:34.000 Khadr wants to be able to have unrestricted, unsupervised contact with Zainab 0.99

00:00:38.000 and also to be able to travel to Saudi Arabia.

00:00:41.000 He also is walking around the streets of Edmonton right now,

00:00:44.000 a very wealthy man after receiving a settlement of $10.5 million from the federal government.

00:00:50.000 But he says that living like that under the bail restrictions that have been put on him

00:00:54.000 is just an extension of what he experienced at Guantanamo Bay.

00:00:59.000 Wait, wasn't he saying that he was being tortured at Guantanamo Bay?

00:01:04.000 Now, I don't know about you.

00:01:05.000 My idea of torture is not walking around Alberta with $10.5 million.

00:01:09.000 I mean, maybe a winter in Alberta is kind of torturous,

00:01:12.000 but not in the literal sense of what Khadr has said has been going on at Guantanamo Bay.

00:01:17.000 And further, he said in his application in the court that he didn't think it would take so long

00:01:22.000 and he's supposed to be done and free right now.

00:01:25.000 And he thinks that, you know, the timeframe of this is just a little bit too slow for his liking.

00:01:30.000 Now, one of the things we know here is that Sergeant Christopher Spear

00:01:33.000 didn't have the luxury of a long, drawn-out process.

00:01:36.000 He was dead.

00:01:37.000 Omar Khadr allegedly, and by his own admission and confession,

00:01:41.000 declared himself the judge, jury and executioner and killed Christopher Spear in the field.

00:01:47.000 So for Khadr now to say that things aren't moving on his timeframe

00:01:51.000 shows what is generally an ingratitude and complete and utter arrogance

00:01:55.000 that he has been espousing throughout his entire legal ordeal in Canada.

00:02:00.000 But further to that, for him who is still technically on bail

00:02:04.000 with a military conviction on record by his own confession

00:02:08.000 to say that, you know, the bail conditions are just so restrictive,

00:02:12.000 he's not enjoying a free life is absurd.

00:02:15.000 He has been, by all intents and purposes, able to resettle and reintegrate in Alberta.

00:02:21.000 He's got a wife, he's got a new family and his lawyers, he's got a lot of money,

00:02:25.000 and he's got an entire cheerleading squad of media and liberals in Canada.

00:02:30.000 But he says that this is no worse than Guantanamo Bay.

00:02:33.000 Well, if that's the case, let me be the first to buy you a one-way plane ticket back.

00:02:37.000 For the True North Initiative, I'm Andrew Lawton.

Juno News - December 15, 2018

Omar Khadr's continued ingratitude

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