Khadr’s confessions admissible, military judge rules

Modbert

Daydream Believer
Sep 2, 2008
33,178
3,055
48
Khadr’s confessions admissible, military judge rules - The Globe and Mail

A Guantanamo Bay military judge has dealt a blow to Canadian Omar Khadr’s legal case: All the confessions the prosecution wanted to submit at his war-crimes trial are fair game.

The decision, coming late Monday afternoon, supports the prosecution’s argument that threats of gang rape and alleged abuse in one interrogation do not taint confessions in another.

It dramatically strengthens the most serious charge against Mr. Khadr – that of murdering a U.S. Army sergeant in an Afghan firefight at the age of 15. If convicted, the 23-year-old could face life imprisonment.

In May hearings, a man identified as Interrogator 1 said in testimony that he threatened Mr. Khadr with being gang-raped to death if he did not co-operate. That interrogator was later identified as former U.S. Army Sergeant Joshua Claus. He has also been convicted of abusing a different detainee and has left the military.

Mr. Khadr’s military-appointed lawyer, Lieutenant-Colonel Jon Jackson, argued this instance, as well as other alleged instances of torture and coercion, are enough to render any future confessions – even those in so-called “clean” interrogations – inadmissible in court.

Military judge Colonel Patrick Parrish sided with the prosecution.

“The government has met its burden,” he said. “The motion to suppress the accused’s statements is denied.”

While if he is guilty of the crime, he should be convicted.

Though, maybe it's just me, but perhaps we should take a step back and look at what's going on when we have a interrogator threatening someone with being gang raped to death if they do not co-operate.

Thoughts USMB?
 

Forum List

Back
Top