Comments on: The Tale of Two Tortured Teenagers (in Bagram and Guantánamo) http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2009/01/21/the-tale-of-two-tortured-teenagers-in-bagram-and-guantanamo/ Investigative journalist, author, filmmaker and Guantanamo expert Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:40:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Hilary Cass http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2009/01/21/the-tale-of-two-tortured-teenagers-in-bagram-and-guantanamo/comment-page-1/#comment-31941 Hilary Cass Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:46:59 +0000 http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/?p=896#comment-31941 I found this site via another. I am, and have been since its inception, horrified by the total disregard for law, either American or International in setting up the prison camp at Guantanamo. I am a Canadian and am heartily ashamed that despite frequent petitions and calls and protests, the Canadian government, under our current right wing conservative prime minister Stephen Harper (an ardent supporter of George Bush) would make not the slightest effort to have Omar Khadr repatriated to Canada. He is the only western prisoner not to be claimed by the appropriate government. Khadr was born in Canada and is the son of a fund raiser for Ben Laden. His father was killed in a raid on their compound and his family has been very critical of the west. However this boy was 15 years old at the time of his capture - what choice did he have?- There is no credible evidence that he in fact did the crime of which he is accused and even if he did he was a child at the time. The internet is full of hate messages from Canadians referring to him as a maggot and basically requesting that he be shot at dawn. Have they no teenage sons? If Omar were released tomorrow and returned to Canada I would fear for his safety. I cannot imagine what kind of life this young man can make for himself. Without the rule of law there is no civilization. Shame on Canada, shame on America, shame on humanity. I found this site via another. I am, and have been since its inception, horrified by the total disregard for law, either American or International in setting up the prison camp at Guantanamo. I am a Canadian and am heartily ashamed that despite frequent petitions and calls and protests, the Canadian government, under our current right wing conservative prime minister Stephen Harper (an ardent supporter of George Bush) would make not the slightest effort to have Omar Khadr repatriated to Canada. He is the only western prisoner not to be claimed by the appropriate government. Khadr was born in Canada and is the son of a fund raiser for Ben Laden. His father was killed in a raid on their compound and his family has been very critical of the west. However this boy was 15 years old at the time of his capture – what choice did he have?- There is no credible evidence that he in fact did the crime of which he is accused and even if he did he was a child at the time. The internet is full of hate messages from Canadians referring to him as a maggot and basically requesting that he be shot at dawn. Have they no teenage sons? If Omar were released tomorrow and returned to Canada I would fear for his safety. I cannot imagine what kind of life this young man can make for himself. Without the rule of law there is no civilization. Shame on Canada, shame on America, shame on humanity.

]]> By: Frances Madeson http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2009/01/21/the-tale-of-two-tortured-teenagers-in-bagram-and-guantanamo/comment-page-1/#comment-31235 Frances Madeson Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:17:53 +0000 http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/?p=896#comment-31235 Why should it require luck and diligence to see that this sort of treatment of fellow human beings is breathtakingly, devastatingly wrong? For me, the cumulative effect of even reading the details of abuse in these posts has become something of a trial. My eyes burn, they sting with tears, they close all by themselves to shut out the horror. There are so many ways to hurt people. Really such an easy thing to do. And if they've already been flayed, even the suggestion of a menacing touch is almost as if the wound had been inflicted anew. It seems we have approached exhausting the catalog and have written the inverse of the Kama Sutra. I ache--bodily, mentally, emotionally, spiritually--for justice, and most importantly, most immediately, for their release. Let my people go. Why should it require luck and diligence to see that this sort of treatment of fellow human beings is breathtakingly, devastatingly wrong? For me, the cumulative effect of even reading the details of abuse in these posts has become something of a trial. My eyes burn, they sting with tears, they close all by themselves to shut out the horror.

There are so many ways to hurt people. Really such an easy thing to do. And if they’ve already been flayed, even the suggestion of a menacing touch is almost as if the wound had been inflicted anew.

It seems we have approached exhausting the catalog and have written the inverse of the Kama Sutra. I ache–bodily, mentally, emotionally, spiritually–for justice, and most importantly, most immediately, for their release. Let my people go.

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