This letter from Nathan J. Whitling, an attorney representing Omar Ahmed Khadr, a Guantanamo Bay Detainee and a Canadian citizen. Mr. Whitling states "we must express our grave concern in relation to the issues raised by these allegations of the torture of a Canadian juvenile. We urgently request that you provide us with any information you may have in relation to these allegations, that you make formal inquiries with the United States government regarding their truth or falsity, and that you advise ourselves of the results of these communications."
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..; ••,.7 A"UG .. i7. 2004 12: 35PM D F A IT MA Eel JPO
L' ~k. AO""Ll~O ..
RELEASED IN FULL
August llJ 2004 NATHAN J. WDllLlNG 1IRECT DIAL: GSO) 4.23-11658 IiMfJI.: nwhilllng@parlce.com
OlJR FlI.E #: 62695-1 INJW .
ioTA FA.CSIMILE &: COURIER . Department ofForeign Affairs and Inter:iW:i.onal Trade Lester S, Pearson Building, Tower A
125 Sussex Drive .
Ottawa, ON KIA OG2 j-COU
Attention: Pierre Pettigrew, Mini5~rofFo~gnAffairs /1. t C{ 5'5012001.{-
Dear Sir:
Re: Omar Ah!lled Khadr~ Gllantanamo Bay Detainee
Please find enclosed pnwious cOII'espondence dated January 20111,2004 and February glb, 2004 frOm myself and Mr. DemUs Edney to Minister Gmharn as well as his two letters in response both dared June 31"11,2004 n:garWng Omar Ahmed Kbadr, a Canadi24 citiZen and a juvenile who has now b~ impri50ned without trial or legal process in GwmtBnarno Bay, Cuba for approximately 2 years. We co~that legal proceedings have been commenced in the Federal . Court of Canad~ in relation to these ·matters, and ~t our client Fatmah EIsamnah (Omar's grantbnother) has been appointed as Omar;s Next Friend for the purposes of these proceedings.
to AB yOu mayor may not be aware, statements !tom former prisoners recently released fi'om Guantioamo Bay have raised extrem~ly.serious concerns regarding the mistreatment of Omar at the hands ofUnited States ~uthorities. More specifically, a British citizen named. Rhuhel Ahmed who Occupied a cell orie door down from Oroar, has made the following statement through hiS U.K.. solicitors:
S. OmCU' .KIJallr
29S. Rhuhel recollects "t1r8 same thing tIlso, we .are aWllre, hllppened to a young CI1Rlldian man~ 0",/11' Khadr, ~lto was aged17whe" we 14ft. He'had fxum .hot three tintes atpoint bllurk l'tzllge amihb IlIlIgpUllcturetiand/uul shrapnel in one eye aMQcll1arllain the other. Theywould·llot operate on him. 1ft! was told tluJl was becaUse he wouldnot ~perate. We 'Were told(Jlle time when he WIlS In. isolation "s WIlS on thsfloor lIery badly ill The guards cRlled the
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE ~ UNGLAtsSIFIED REVIEW AUTHORITY: SHARON E AHMAD DATE/CASE ID: 20 APR 2005 200303827
DOS-003047
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medics flIId they saId they couIIIn'/ see him 'because the inter;lJglltors had refused to let them. We don't know what hizppened to him (he hlld had some, sort %pmztion when he was mIlin AfghlUlistan but he WilS in cOllstant pain in GUlllttlllUllllO QJU/still untlouhtedly is Ilntlthey would /lot give film pain
, ' killers." (He was one door ftom Rhuhel in the same block and all three used to talk
, tohim.)
The entire report is a.vailable at:
, http://www.ccr-ny.orglv2lreportsireportasp?ObjIIF4bUT8M23lk&ContenF424
.
On behalf ofour clients, we must express , our grave concern in relation to the issues raised by 'these allegations ofthe torture of a Canadian juvenile. We urgently request that)lOu provide us with any information you may have in relation to these allegations. that you make fonnal ~ inquiries with the United States govemment regarding their truth or falsity, and that you advise 'oUISclvC5 of the results of these commWlications.
'" _We note.further that in Minister Graham's letter to Mr. Edney dated iune 3rd, 2004. it was stated ,that 'vrhe decision by the govemment of ClUlada not to intervene on the jUrisdictional point does ,n;lt preclude the possibility of a future intervention in proceedings befo~ the U,S. coutts that
involve Mr. Khadr directly") In this regart\ we oonfinn that habeas corpus proceedings have now bec:n commenced on Omar'8 behalf in the United States District 'Court for ,the District of Columbia. Case No. 1:04·CV-01136 (roB). On behalf of our olients, we have retained the services of the Intemational HUll12ll Rights Law Clinic, Americau University Washington College ofLaw to act as cotWel for Omar in this proceeding, with Professors Muneer LAhm3d and Richard 1. Wilson acting as responsible coWlSeL .We therefore renew our request for intervention and as$istance Rom the government of Canada in securing relief from the violations ofOmar's human rights in the context oftbis proceeding. We along with ProfessoIS Ahmad and Wilson would be interested in meeting with you in person or by telephone to discuss what steps
. the govemment ofCanada might tak~ in this regard. '.
We would greatly appreciate a response to the abovo at your earliest convenience.
Yours~ly.
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NATHAN J. WH1TL1NG
N1W/ab
Ends.
, .
cc: The Kh;adt family
Dennis Edney
(l;42IISI3.00c;1)
UNCLASSIFlED
DOS-003048