The federal government squared off again with defence lawyers this week in the Omar Khadr case — this time to ask a Canadian judge not to let Khadr out of jail pending an appeal of his case in the U.S.
Ottawa has had a bee in its bonnet about Khadr for 13 years now — the length of time the 28 year old has been jailed.
Throughout that time, the Conservatives’ issues with the case have had little to do with legal merits and much to do with political gamesmanship. This week was no different.
Khadr has long been a convenient boogeyman — a homegrown terrorist who exemplifies the kind of bad guy political leaders must protect us against. He has been a convenient target with which to score political points.
For Steven Harper, it means little that Khadr was 15 —a child — when he killed a U.S. soldier during a firefight. It also means little that Khadr was tortured at Guantanamo Bay, where he was locked up at the time of his confession.
It means little that facing a U.S. military court, Khadr had few of the rights we take for granted.
Khadr has always been a polarizing figure. But his treatment by our government has been nothing short of shameful.
Fortunately there is a place outside of the political arena where such details still matter — the courts.
Regardless of anyone’s opinion on whether Khadr is a victim or a monster, the rule of law exists to protect those who make us uncomfortable — even more than it exists to protect those whose causes are easier to champion.
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