Wellington Secondary School’s Amnesty International Demonstration

Wellington Secondary School’s Amnesty International (WSSAI) is holding a demonstration on the unlawful imprisonment of Omar Khadr in Guantanamo Bay on 10th July 2010 at Cuba Mall, opposite the Left Bank Arcade.

Omar was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002 when he was found crippled and trapped under rubble in a house where there had been supposed insurgent activity. Despite being a minor under 18, he was treated as an adult prisoner at Guantanamo.Officials considered him an "intelligence treasure trove" not only because his father was Ahmed Said Khadr, but because he had personally met senior Al-Qaeda leaders and might be able to offer answers about their hierarchy despite having been only ten years old at the time.Omar Khadr has endured over seven years of unlawful detention and harsh treatment at Bagram Airbase & Guantánamo Bay. He now faces continued military detention and a trial by military commission which, despite some reforms, still falls far short of international human rights standards. Repatriation remains the only effective remedy in this case.

On January 29, 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously declared that Omar Khadr’s human rights had been violated. The Court found that Canada “actively participated in a process contrary to Canada’s international human rights obligations and contributed to Mr. Khadr’s ongoing detention” in violation of section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

This event has been carefully planned by the Wellington College arm of WSSAI, with a lot of diligent effort by leaders Max Callister-Baker, Zane Pocock and Alasdair Keating. Demonstrators in orange Guantanamo-style prison outfits will be joined by up to 50 other youth to make a stand for justice.

We welcome all media involvement in this demonstration to help raise awareness in the New Zealand population of the abuse of human rights internationally.

ENDS

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