Canada judge rules former Guantanamo detainee’s war crimes sentence has expired News
TayebMEZAHDIA / Pixabay
Canada judge rules former Guantanamo detainee’s war crimes sentence has expired

Alberta Judge Mary Moreau decided Monday that the war crimes sentence against former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr has now expired.

Khadr was charged with crimes in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old. He was detained at Guantanamo and spent a few years there before pleading guilty to certain charges to avoid being sentenced for a period longer than eight years and was transferred to Canada after one year. Pending an appeal of a military conviction in the US, Khadr was released on bail in 2015.

The question before the Queen’s court was whether Khadr’s time out on bail would count towards his eight-ear sentence. If not for being released on bail, Khadr would have served the entirety of his sentence by October of last year. The court held that the Youth Criminal Justice Act allows for a judge to include bail conditions as part of a sentence.

Khadr can now apply for a passport, freely communicate with his family members and travel without supervision.

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