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Guantanamo Detainees to Italy

by Barbara McPherson | June 17, 2009 at 09:35 am

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Three Guantanamo detainees will be shipped to Italy. An agreement between Barack Obama, US president and Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister has allowed for the three Guantanamo detainees to be released in Italy.
This will be the latest in a series of releases of Guantanamo detainees. To date over 500 Guantanamo detainees have been released around the world, leaving slightly more than 200 in custody.
It appears that the US government will refuse to take responsibility for placement of Guantanamo detainees within the country, even though some have been cleared of any terrorist charges.

The prospects for any transfer of Guantanamo inmates to the US mainland have lessened in recent weeks after the US congress acted to block funding to pay for such moves.

Many of the detainees have already been cleared for release, but US officials are having difficulty finding other countries that will take them.

Canada is another country that has refused to accept Guantanamo detainees, even though one of them is a Canadian citizen and was a child soldier.
Uighurs Tell Fnc: Better Human Rights at Guantanamo Than in China

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albertacowpoke

at 13:13 on June 17th, 2009

I doubt that Omar Khadr is one of those being released by the US. He has been charged and his trial was halted when Obama issued the Executive order to close GITMO and stopped the military tribunals. His trial is now cleared to go ahead under some new rules for military tribunals.

The recent decision by the Canadian Supreme Court, that has ordered the Canadian Government to pursue release of Omar Khadr, would make it virtually impossible for the Canadian Government to refuse him if offered by the US.

The Canadian Government's recent stance on GITMO prisoners is that they will not take anyone that is considered a terrorist by the US.

Harpers Interview with FNC

Barbara McPherson

at 18:46 on June 17th, 2009

OK, I agree with not taking any suspected terrorists, but Omar Khadr was a child soldier and it doesn't matter under international law what he did when he was 15. The US and Canada both are signatories to the UN definition. It seems that a 15 year old in Darfur is a child soldier but when a 15 year old is in Afghanistan he becomes magically a terrorist. There should not be charges against him at all.

albertacowpoke

at 19:03 on June 17th, 2009

All I was saying Barbara is that Omar Khadr is not on the list of those that the US Administration is looking to relocate. They.re relocating those that have not been charged.

The term "Child Soldier" is also open to interpretation. I googled it last week and I think I included it in one of my stories.

The fact is that the Supreme Court ordered the Government to make efforts to secure Omar Khadr's repatriation to Canada. So far the Harper Government is studying it and may appeal.

I think if the US wanted to send him to Canada, the Government wouldn.t have much of a choice in view of he Supreme Court's order.

As far as the family is concerned I have seen their comments on both W5 and the Fifth Estate and I think if the young Khadr comes back he should not be allowed to communicate with them. This is no different than the White Supremacy Mom that had her kids taken from her.