Sept.6, 2002:
It is first reported that Omar Khadr has been detained at the U.S. military base in Bagram, Afghanistan since July 27. He is believed to be a part of al-Qaeda, and officials are surprised when he tells them he is Canadian. The Canadian department of foreign affairs releases a statement saying they are “concerned that a Canadian juvenile has been detained, and believes that this individual’s age should be taken into account in determining treatment.” They send a diplomatic note to he U.S. state department asking for access to Khadr.
Omar Khadr’s grandparents are first told of the whereabouts of their grandson, after they had been searching for him. They state in an interview with Canwest news that ”he is only a child. Not even 16 yet. A Canadian child. He is my dear grandson. What do you think a grandmother would say about their grandson?”
Sept. 7, 2002:
Renald Doiron, a foreign affairs spokesman, says that the department will take action “only when the Americans tell us what kind of evidence they gather, or lack thereof.”
Sept. 9, 2002:
The U.S. State Department responds to Canada’s note, denying them access to Khadr saying meetings with “enemy combatants” are against policy.
A poll conducted by the National Post finds that 86 per cent of Canadians feel the 15-year-old should not be given special status because of his age.
Sept. 12, 2002:
A column in the National Post states that Canada should not support Khadr. “He appears to come from a pedigree al-Qaeda family; his father is on an international watch list.”
Sept. 21, 2002:
U.S. military reports released state that Khadr was the only person left alive after air and ground assaults. This would later be contradicted by another report released on the same day.
Oct. 31, 2002:
Khadr is finally transferred to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, although the U.S. State Department did not inform the Canadian Department of foreign affairs.
Nov. 2, 2002:
It is reported that Khadr is fully cooperating with U.S. officials and “singing like a bird” by supplying information about al-Qaeda, and his father.
Dec. 28, 2002:
A full feature article by the National Post delves into Khadr’s background. He “worshipped Allah and Tintin,” love Kit Kat bars, the Die Hard series and playing Nintendo.
Feb. 20, 2003:
The RCMP and CSIS meet with Khadr for the first time, “likely questioning him about his knowledge of threats to Canada,” according to the National Post.
April 24, 2003:
Amnesty International releases a statement urging the U.S. to release Khadr and two other teenagers held at Guantanamo Bay, saying it “flouts basic principles for the protection of children under international law.”
Oct. 14, 2003:
The National Post states in an article that “he killed a U.S. medic with a hand grenade before he was captured.”
Dec.3, 2003:
It is reported that Khadr could possibly be transferred from Guantanamo because of his poor health. This never happens.
Jan. 9, 2004:
Two lawyers from Edmonton begin representing Khadr. Dennis Edney and Nate Whitling say that he is locked up “around the clock”, and point out the fact that he still hasn’t been formally accused of any crime.
June 29, 2004:
The U.S. Supreme Court rule that foreign detainees at Guantanamo have the legal right to question the “legality of their imprisonment,” which the U.S. previously argued fell out of their “scope” of justice. Joseph Margulies, an attorney for the Centre for Constitutional Rights, said “no prison is outside the reach of domestic law.”
Aug. 13, 2004:
Khadr’s lawyers file a claim for $100,000 in damages and ask for a court order to stop Canadian officials from interviewing their client. They say this breaches his constitutional rights to remain silent and have a lawyer present.
Aug. 24, 2004:
Khadr’s lawyers request to see his medical records, saying that he sustained vision loss, a punctured lung and three bullet wounds during the incident on July 27, 2002. They say that his imprisonment since then has caused “sever mental impairment.”
Sept. 18, 2004:
Khadr’s lawyers say he was been treated unfairly because of his family connections to al-Qaeda, stating “all Canadians must be afforded equal rights under the law.”
Oct. 3, 2004:
The Edmonton Journal publishes a column saying that everyone deserves a defense. “In a democracy, even the alleged bad guys deserve legal rights.”
April 10, 2005:
CSIS “admits to sharing information with U.S. intelligence services,” although they stated before that their dealings with Khadr wouldn’t’ be used to help prosecute him.
June 20, 2005:
Recent psychiatric assessments obtained by his lawyers show that he is at a high suicide risk, and has symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Aug. 10, 2005:
The Canadian Federal court rules that CSIS and the RCMP have to stop interviewing Khadr because it is breaking his constitutional rights. His lawyers state, ”it’s significant that we have a Canadian judge saying that conditions at Guantanamo don’t meet Canadian standards. It’s sad that the Canadian government isn’t standing up for a vulnerable Canadian youth whose rights are being violated, but I’m glad to see that a Canadian court will.”
Aug. 12, 2005:
The Edmonton Journal publishes an editorial that says a ruling on Khadr’s status is imminently needed, saying his rights are being violated.
Sept. 22, 2005:
Khadr fires his American lawyers (on July 31) that his Canadian lawyers had hired to represent him. It is also reported that Khadr recently went on a hunger strike to protest the “military’s disrespect for Islam.”
Nov. 9, 2005:
Khadr is finally charged, and Canadian diplomats get busy trying to remove the possibility of the death penalty. Khadr’s American lawyer says “they are supposed to remove them, rehabilitate them and return them to a place of safety.”
Dec. 27, 2005:
Khadr’s lawyers say that charging him with “aiding the enemy” would be “criminalizing all participation in war.”
Jan. 12, 2006:
Khadr appears in public for the first time since 2002, and tells the military tribunal that he wants Canadian lawyers.
Jan. 13, 2006:
Khadr’s lawyers say press conferences held by prosecutors were prejudicing evidence, as they were stating he was a “cold blooded killer” before submitting their evidence.
Feb. 17, 2006:
A UN report says that prisoners are tortured at Guantanamo.
Feb. 20, 2006:
A U.S. civil court orders the Khadr family to pay $94.5 million to Tabitha Speer, the widow of the soldier, although their family assets were still frozen by the U.S. Officer of Foreign Assets Control.
June 30, 2006:
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals violate both U.S. law and the Geneva Convention. The Khadr case is put in limbo.
May 30, 2006:
U.S. State Department Officials release a statement saying that even if Khadr is acquitted, he can be held at Guantanamo indefinitely.
June 4, 2006:
Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler is put in charge of Khadr’s defense, but admits he’s “not up to speed at all” on the case.
June 5, 2006:
A U.S. military judge throws out the Khadr case and dismisses all charges against him, saying his label as an “enemy combatant” leads to the possibility that he was legally fighting under the laws of war.
June 9, 2006:
The Pentagon releases a statement saying it will challenge the judge’s decision.
June 15, 2006:
A letter is forwarded to Prime Minister Harper signed by “parliamentarians, academics and human-rights activists.” They ask him to repatriate Khadr. International Trade Minister David Emerson states that the “allegations…are very serious” and “the question of accepting a repatriation of Mr. Khadr is premature and it is speculative at this time.”
June 28, 2006:
The Times Colonist publishes a column saying that Khadr should be treated like a child soldier, and be brought home immediately.
June 30, 2006:
A statement by a U.S. Intelligence officials reveals that they were routinely faced with pressure to “declare detainees as enemy combatants without proper evidence” by military commanders.
Aug. 16, 2006:
The Times Colonist publishes a column saying Khadr should be brought home and rehabilitated.
Aug. 28, 2006:
The Times Colonist publishes an editorial saying Khadr should be tried in Canada.
Sept. 20, 2006:
Khadr’s lawyers say that as a result of his imprisonment his maturity and growth have been stunted, causing him to have no social interaction skills.
Sept. 25, 2006:
The Pentagon gets the “green light” to continue with the war crimes tribunals.
Nov. 20, 2006:
The UN launches a “formal protest” against the U.S. for trying Khadr, saying that as a child soldier it is unprecedented.
Jan. 18, 2007:
The U.S. makes Canada’s secret “torture list” on a foreign affairs document not made to be made public.
Jan. 20, 2007:
Maxime Bernier, the foreign affairs minister, apologizes for the list, saying it will be rewritten.
Feb. 6, 2007:
The Star Phoenix publishes an editorial saying “Ottawa’s silence over Khadr case cause for shame.”
Feb. 18, 2007:
The Times Colonist publishes a column saying that the “treatment of Khadr shames Canada.”
Feb. 26, 2007:
William Haynes, the pentagon official put in charge to oversee the trials, resigns in the wake of reports that claim he said: “We can’t have acquittals. If we’ve been holding these guys for so long, how can we explain letting them get off?”
Feb. 29, 2007:
The Times Colonist publishes a column saying that Canada is quickly losing its good reputation because of the Khadr case.
March 3, 2007:
Reports accidentally leaked to the press show critical changes were made in the Senior Commanders report from July 28, 2002. The first one said that U.S. operatives killed the soldier who threw the deadly grenade after finding him wounded, while the one backing up charges on Khadr said that he was the only soldier found alive at the scene.
March 18, 2007:
Khadr’s war crimes affidavit alleges “serious mistreatments” and torture, including one incident where he was tied up for hours, and then used a mop to wipe up his own urine.
March 20, 2007:
New eyewitness accounts back up the second version of the Senior Commanders report from July 28, 2002.
