The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) on Wednesday examined requests from lawyers to seek government intelligence for the defense of a Canadian detainee in the Guantanamo Bay.
Toronto-born Omar Khadr was captured by U.S. soldiers in July 2002 following a firefight in Afghanistan when he was only 15. He was accused of killing a U.S. soldier in the fight and has been held as the only Canadian detainee at the U.S. prison in Cuba.
Canada's Federal Court of Appeal supported Khadr's lawyers, whosay they need the documents to make their case at the terror suspect's U.S. military trial. But Ottawa refuses to release them arguing it may risk national security.
Lawyers for the government told the SCC Wednesday that Khadr's team is on a fishing expedition that could compromise sensitive information.
Attorney Robert Frater also said Khadr had no right to the documents since Canada was not involved in the prosecution.
"In the absence of a Canadian prosecution alleging that he was involved in such actions against Canadian troops, he has no right,no right to any information about what we know about what he may have done," he said.
Khadr's lawyers noted that the information Canadian officials obtained and provided to the Americans is now being used against Khadr in Guantanamo.
"They violated so many of his rights and in the course of doing that they interrogated him off and on for days and then they provided that evidence and information to the Americans," Dennis Edney said.
Source:Xinhua
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