Call for Guantanamo closure

By Vicky Anderson on Feb 29, 08 06:50 AM

THE Law Society, together with bar associations and law societies around the world, has called for the immediate closure of the US prison facility at Guantanamo Bay.

Thirty four international organisations have signed a joint letter to the US president and the Canadian prime minister to express their condemnation of the situation in Guantanamo Bay, while at the same time recognizing the ongoing worldwide threat of terrorism.

The letter urges the Canadian government to repatriate and offer a fair trial to Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen who was arrested at the age of 15. He has spent the last 5 years in custody at Guantanamo Bay, and is now the only citizen of a Western country remaining in detention there.

Law Society president Andrew Holroyd said: "Events in Guantanamo are of serious concern to everyone who supports the international rule oflaw. The military commissions are only authorised to try non-US citizens. We feel that it is inherently unfair to have one justice system for American citizens and another for so-called ‘enemy combatants’, particularly when such a system has no basis in international law.

"It is a principle of customary international law that children are to be accorded special protections in all criminal proceedings, and in any prosecution for participation in warlike acts. Therefore, it is important that Omar Khadr is treated strictly in accordance with international law."