[JURIST] Canadian Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr [DOD materials; JURIST news archive] has filed suit [Globe and Mail report; Federal Court of Canada docket] against Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper [official profile] in an effort to compel Harper to demand his release. Following last month's discovery of documents [text, PDF] showing that the Canadian government knew Khadr had been mistreated [JURIST report], Harper has come under heavy criticism [JURIST report] for refusing to interfere with US proceedings against Khadr. Harper has stated his belief that the Guantanamo process is necessary to discover the truth.

Khadr faces life imprisonment for April 2007 charges [charge sheet, PDF; JURIST report] of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and spying. Khadr is one of four [JURIST report] Guantanamo detainees facing prosecution under the Military Commissions Act of 2006 [text, PDF]. On March 13, a US military judge also ruled [JURIST report] that some correspondence between US and Canadian government officials regarding Khadr must be turned over to Khadr's defense team. In an affidavit released in early May, Khadr accused US interrogators of mistreatment [JURIST report], including threatening him with rape, physically abusing him, and forcing him to swear to false statements.