Guantánamo’s youngest captive turns 26

[jugglingeggs]

Guantánamo’s youngest captive, Omar Khadr of Canada, turned 26 at the U.S. detention center in southeast Cuba on Wednesday - and got a visit from a Canadian government official.

Khadr, who was captured by U.S. troops at age 15 in Afghanistan, is suing through his Toronto lawyers to serve out his remaining prison time in a lockup in Canada.

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Comments

[endlos_schleife]

What drives people to think locking up a 15-year old in Guantanamo is okay?

[jugglingeggs]

Apparently it's OK! if he "killed" a soldier.

It's ridiculous how fucking hypocritical the world is. With the whole KONY 2012 thing everyone was like "omg he's evil cause he uses child soldiers", but when a 15 year old Muslim boy could be a child soldier, (which I highly doubt he was, even if "admitted" to throwing the grenade) just throw that little boy in one of the most abusive prisons where he will be tortured numerously, physically and psychologically.

I just literally shake from feeling so sick every time I read about what has happened to him.

[luminescnece]

What drives a country to let a 15 year old citizen rot in a prison camp.

OH WAIT. Harper's foreign policy doesn't care about brown Canadians.

[mdemvizi]

Ugh. This is gross.

Slightly OT: A guy who sits next to me in my Public Speaking class just came back to the States after living on the naval base at Guantanamo for almost four years. His dad works for the Defense Dept. I looked at him like he was crazy when he told me that.

[lurkch]

Sorry, I don't understand why you "looked at him like he was crazy."

[chantalzola]

This.

[mdemvizi]

Well in my mind I couldn't fathom the possibility of people living in such places. It was just interesting since most people in this class had never been outside of the US or more likely north of Virginia. I don't mean it in negative way if that is what I came off as.

[poetic_pixie_13]

I'm sorry. There are so many things I want to say about Omar Khadr and the abuse and torture we as a country have turned a blind eye to because brown kids are never, ever allowed to be children. I just. I can't. Every time I think of him or hear another part of his story it's all I can do to not weep.

[jugglingeggs]

Just, thank you for being a decent human being. I never thought that on _p of all places I would find comments which try to defend, rationalise, and even applaud the torture of a 15 year old boy. Just. I feel even more sick for posting this article here now.

[poetic_pixie_13]

I came back into the post, read those comments and saw red.

Like. Jesus fucking Christ. I just can fucking not. Apparently _p took a vote decided that it's totes OK to dehumanize and degrade Muslims and I wasn't invited.

This comm. Sometimes I just don't know.

[jugglingeggs]

I am seriously starting to feel this was the case given some of the comments in _p lately. Seriously wtf. I agree completely with soapinha when they said But a 15 year old Afghan boy does not get that same treatment, because, what? He knew what he was doing? A soldier that tortures or kills civilians on purpose knows what they're doing, but we'll defend them to the death.

But you're being all rational and amazing again. Way more eloquent (and polite) in your responses than I could ever be.

[moonpupy]

How much sympathy would you have if he had "thrown" a "grenade" that "killed" your "brother"? Or "father"? Or any other member of your "family"?

By participating in an on-going war zone, he became an enemy combatant. And if you don't think a 15-year-old doesn't know what he's doing - be it because he believes in a cause, or because he's showing off to impress someone, you're sadly mistaken. Or, you don't know any 15-year-olds.

He "grew-up" in that hell hole because he killed someone. On purpose. He didn't "accidentally" throw that grenade. He threw it with intent to harm or kill. If that's the kind of people you want wandering your neighborhood streets, I don't want to live anywhere near you.

And, yes, the "quotes" are highly sarcastic.

[valkeakuulas]

He didn't "accidentally" throw that grenade. He threw it with intent to harm or kill. If that's the kind of people you want wandering your neighborhood streets, I don't want to live anywhere near you.

But you are comfortable living near US army veterans who have killed people?

[teacoat]

This. I mean, if you want to try bringing him up on war crimes before an international tribunal, OK. At least then the trial will be open and transparent and (theoretically) conducted by disinterested parties. Otherwise it sounds like what he did was part of the normal course of war (which in and of itself is tragic, that a 15-year-old was forced into that).

[moonpupy]

I have no problem living near and with military veterans who have killed people. They fought for their country. In service to their country. They weren't 15 year old boys who thought they could get away with murder because of their age.

In case you hadn't noticed the difference, authorized fighting for your country is just a tad different than a drive-by shooting (or throwing a grenade) because you want to cause harm.

[poetic_pixie_13]

_p, I love you, but sometimes I just can't

[jugglingeggs]

Thank you thank you and thank you

[elialshadowpine]

Ty bb. I was thinking, maybe there was something I missed, because I'll be honest, at the point that all this happened and was in the news, I was focused on survive and get away from my abusive family, not, the news. But I've just spent the last bit reading up on this since, no context, and maybe I missed something, and and and I ... seriously wtf _p?

I'm just gonna say, I have known US FUCKING VETERANS who have done things that are completely fucking HORRIFYING in comparison to this kid -- and have never been charged with war crimes. No, they come home and brag about it. It's totes okay when white Americans do it, but brown kids of a foreign nation? Totes war crimes and worthy of torture.

And the statements that this poor kid still needs to "pay"? I would seriously love to know how ten years in Guatanamo Bay, being tortured, is not enough atonement. (And, mind, I am not supporting them putting him in Guatanamo -- that is just, wtf. But, that he has been there, for ten years, and people are saying he still needs to pay. SERIOUSLY

[girly123]

;-;

Thank you for your patience in laying this out. I really just can't anymore with the Islamophobia and ignorance here; it's fucking exhausting to deal with.