![Gitmo prosecutor defends war crimes case against Canadian teen](https://www.jurist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jurist-white-text.png)
[JURIST] One day before hearings resume [JURIST report] before military commissions at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] in the cases of two alleged terrorists, chief US prosecutor Col. Moe Davis Tuesday characterized defendant Omar Khadr [US DOD chargesheet, PDF; DOD press release; JURIST news archive], a Canadian citizen who was 15 years old at the time of his arrest, as a seasoned terrorist undeserving of special protection as a minor. Khadr is charged with conspiracy, murder and attempted murder stemming from a 2002 conflict in Afghanistan outside an Al Qaeda compound, where Khadr is alleged to have thrown a hand grenade that killed US medic Chris Spear. Khadr will be formally represented by a military lawyer with no previous trial experience. The advocacy director of the Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] has argued [press release] that Khadr's rights as a child have been ignored by the US government throughout his detention, and that "the military commission should not do the same." American Forces Press Service has more. CBC has additional coverage.