MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2008

Prominent Organizations to Protest in Ottawa to Say: “Bring Omar Khadr back to Canada”

Ottawa (July 25, 2008) – This week rallies are taking place in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver calling on Stephen Harper to bring Khadr to Canada. The rallies are being sponsored by a wide range of peace, social justice and faith groups, including the Canadian Peace Alliance, the Council of Canadians, Canadian Arab Federation, Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association and Toronto Conference, United Church of Canada. The protest in Ottawa will take place at 12pm, Saturday, July 26.

Canadian citizen Omar Khadr is the only Western national left in Guantanamo Bay, and the first child-soldier to be prosecuted in more than a hundred years. Recently released video footage reveals the kind of mistreatment that Khadr has experienced in Guantanamo Bay, where the US has been accused of practicing torture on detainees.

WHAT: Rally and March

WHEN: Saturday, 26 July, 12 Noon

WHERE: Corner of Sussex and York, Ottawa

WHO: Featured speakers include Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance; Dylan Penner, Council of Canadians; Jessica Squires, NOWAR-PAIX; Bill Clennett, prominent Quebec activist; Francine Dumas and Benoit Renaud, Rassemblement Outaouais contre la guerre.

Omar Khadr was only 15 years-old when he was captured by US forces in Afghanistan and later transported to the infamous US prison where he has now spent more than a quarter of his life. Khadr faces trial by US military tribunal in October 2008. Worse still, court documents reveal that the Canadian government was aware of the abuse suffered by Khadr at the hands of US authorities yet continued to assure the Canadian public that he was being well treated.

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