Thursday, January 22, 2009

Welcome to Obamaland: Gitmo trial halted of jihadist who "crouched in the rubble waiting for U.S. troops to get close enough so he could take one of t


Jihade Watch

A retired U.S. soldier who was ambushed by armed fighters holed up in the mud compound where Omar Khadr was captured said on Tuesday the Canadian deserves to be at Guantanamo Bay. [...] "My lasting image of Omar is of him crouched in the rubble waiting for U.S. troops to get close enough so he could take one of them out, and he did that successfully and that is the underlying reason why we're all here in the first place," Sgt. Morris said.

But not for long, courtesy the President of the United States:

"U.S. judge halts proceedings against Omar Khadr," from Sympatico MSN News, January 21 (thanks to Sr. Soph):

The U.S. military judge presiding over Canadian Omar Khadr's war-crimes case at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, granted an adjournment on Wednesday of 120 days at the request of the new administration of President Barack Obama.

The decisions cast doubt over the controversial U.S. military commissions process and brought fresh calls for the Canadian government to intervene on behalf of the Toronto-born Khadr and have him repatriated to Canada.

The adjournment ordered by Col. Patrick Parrish does not withdraw the charges against Khadr or expunge any evidence presented against him at this week's pretrial hearings, the CBC's Susan Ormiston reported Wednesday from Guantanamo Bay.

Khadr's defence team had wanted Parrish to stay the charges, but did not oppose the prosecution motion to suspend the proceedings.

Khadr, now 22 and the only Westerner remaining in detention at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, is accused of killing an American soldier in Afghanistan in July 2002 when he was just 15.

Lt.-Cmdr. William Kuebler, Khadr's military-appointed lawyer, told CBC News he believes the adjournment signifies "the end" of Khadr's case before the controversial military commissions process at Guantanamo Bay.

"I really don't think that the Obama administration wants to put itself in the position of being the first administration in U.S. history to try a child for war crimes," Kuebler said in an interview.

"So my guess is however this works out, even if there is some revised or revamped ... military commission process, I don't think Omar Khadr will be part of that process going forward."...

Congratulations on your impending freedom, Omar, but pardon me if I don't invite you to a celebratory lunch.

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