The Supreme Court of Canada confirmed Jan. 29, 2010 that Canadian officials had violated Omar Khadr's constitutional rights. In a unanimous decision the Supreme Court has now left it up to the federal government whether to ask the United States to return Omar Khadr to Canada.

Omar Khadr is a young man who has spent the past eight years of his life as a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba. Seriously wounded at the time of his arrest he was taken to Bagram Prison Hospital. It was reported that he was subjected to approximately 40 interrogations, eight hours each time, in the first three months at the hospital. He was then sent to Guantanamo Bay where he has endured every type of horrible torture that prison practices.

Omar Khadr's Canadian attorneys Dennis Edney and Nathan Whitling continue to fight on his behalf.

At 15 years of age at the time of his capture he would be considered a child soldier under the United Nations convention.

The Conservative Government and Stephen Harper refuse to repatriate Omar Khadr. Why? Is this young man, a Canadian Citizen, such a threat to anyone? Where is the compassion? The respect for human rights? Does this government lack this kind of caring for one of it's own citizens?

All it would take is one phone call from one prime minister to one United States president for one young Canadian citizen to come home where he rightfully belongs.

C. SWAN

Kamloops