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Should Omar Khadr be allowed to return to Canada?

by Community Team Posted: April 18, 2012 12:15 PM Last Updated: April 18, 2012 12:17 PM

Categories: Community

Omar Khadr is seen in Guantanamo Bay's Camp 4 in October 2010. (Colin Perkel/Canadian Press)

Omar Khadr, who is serving eight years in a U.S. prison for killing an American soldier, has filed an application to be transferred to a prison facility in Canada.

Khadr has been in custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since October 2002. He was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan earlier that year -- at the age of 15. 

Before a controversial U.S. military tribunal, the Toronto-born Khadr pleaded guilty to the murder of Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer and to four other charges: attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support to terrorists and spying. 

Omar Khadr is seen in this undated file photo. (Canadian Press/Handout)

However, Khadr has been eligible since October 2010 to return to Canada under terms of a plea deal. 

Ottawa confirmed Wednesday that it has received Khadr's completed application for transfer to Canada. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has been in no hurry to approve the request. 

"A decision will be made on this file in accordance with Canadian law," a spokeswoman from the office of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Wednesday. 

Should Omar Khadr be able to return to Canada to serve out the remainder of his sentence? Why or why not?



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