Canadian citizen Omar Khadr [5] was transferred to Canada [6] from Guantánamo Bay early Sept. 30 to serve out the rest of his prison sentence under the authority of the Correctional Service of Canada [7]. Khadr pleaded guilty to murdering US Sergeant First Class Christoper Speer, an Army medic, as well as charges of conspiracy and spying, material support of a terrorist group and attempted murder. He was originally sentenced to eight years [8] in 2010 on top of the eight years he had already spent in prison. The rest of his sentence and future parole hearings, however, will now be handled by Canadian authorities according to Canadian law.
The US delivered Khadr's papers [9] to Canada earlier this month while it was considering the possibility of transferring him. UN officials called for the transfer [10] of Khadr in July after his lawyers renewed his transfer request [11] the previous month. He made a formal request [12] to the Canadian government in April after being approved for transfer by the US government. He made a claim in 2010 that his confession to charges against him was a product of torture, but those claims were rejected [13] by a military judge. Khadr, 26, was the youngest prisoner to be held at Guantánamo Bay.
From Jurist [14], Sept. 30. Used with permission.
