Khadr's Guantanamo trial date set
Aug. 10 date is tentative
Last Updated: Monday, July 12, 2010 | 3:34 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Related
Internal Links
In this courtroom artist's sketch, Omar Khadr is shown attending a hearing at the Camp Justice compound, Guantanamo Bay, on April 28. (Janet Hamlin, Pool/Associated Press)A U.S. military judge in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Monday set Aug. 10 as the tentative date for war-crimes trial of Toronto-born Omar Khadr.
The ruling came after a topsy-turvy morning of legal proceedings in which Khadr tried, unsuccessfully, to fire his court-appointed lawyer.
Khadr began his pre-trial hearing by insisting to the judge, Army Col. Patrick Parrish, that he distrusted the military court process and intended to defend himself. He said there was no chance he would receive a fair trial, regardless of his legal representation, and said he'd fired his court-appointed military lawyer.
"I'm going to get 30 years no matter what," Khadr said.
Then, after a recess, Khadr returned to court to say he intended to boycott his entire trial.
But Parrish refused to allow Khadr to fire Lt.-Col. Jon Jackson. Khadr fired his two American civilian lawyers on Friday.
At the end of the hearing, Jackson said he would consult his bar association in Arkansas to see whether it's ethical to represent someone who doesn't want to be represented.
Exasperated military prosecutors accuse Khadr of trying to make a mockery of the trial process.
Khadr is accused of five charges, the most serious being the murder of an American special forces soldier.
Prosecutors allege Khadr threw a hand grenade that killed Sgt. Chris Speer in Afghanistan in July 2002 when he was 15 years old. He faces a maximum life sentence on conviction.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
- 32 Syrian children die in artillery attack, says UN
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming at least 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- The deaths of six climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- 32 Syrian children die in artillery attack, says UN
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming at least 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- No. 3 in Egypt election demands recount
- A spokesman for the third-place finisher in Egypt's presidential race has called for a partial vote recount, citing violations. more »
- 3rd most-wanted Nazi war criminal dies in Germany
- Klaas Carel Faber, a Dutch native who fled to Germany after being convicted in the Netherlands of Nazi war crimes and subsequently lived in freedom despite several attempts to try or extradite him, has died. He was 90. more »
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
Dispatches »
- Foreign slaves serving the U.S. military machine May. 24, 2012 3:33 PM How does a hairdresser recruited for work in Dubai, wind up slaving for the U.S. military in a war zone in Iraq? There are tens of thousands serving in what's come to be known as America's "Invisible Army."
Connect Newsroom Blog
Etan Patz, Brian Banks & 50 Shades of Grey May. 25, 2012 8:56 PM On his first full day of his new life, former football star Brian Banks joins us live.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Pope's butler arrested in Vatican leaks scandal
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- Woman's remains found in bag on Cape Breton river
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
