(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The release of a video featuring the interrogation of Omar Khadr did not lead to a major change in the way Canadians feel about this case, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 38 per cent of respondents want to leave Khadr to face trial by military commission in Guantanamo Bay, while 38 per cent would repatriate him to face due process under Canadian Law.

The online survey allowed respondents to watch excerpts of a video that was released by Khadr’s lawyers on Jul. 15. The video features Omar Khadr being interrogated by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agents at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in February 2003.

Omar Khadr—a Canadian born in Toronto and the son of al-Qaeda fighter Ahmed Said Khadr—was detained by the United States military in Afghanistan in July 2002, after allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a special forces medic. Omar Khadr was 15 at the time.

In June 2007, U.S. military judge Peter Brownback dismissed the charges of murder and terrorism against Omar Khadr, claiming he was authorized to try "unlawful enemy combatants" exclusively. An earlier review had deemed Omar Khadr was an "enemy combatant." However, the case against Omar Khadr was reopened in September 2007, when the new Court of Military Commission Review ruled that Brownback’s decision was in error.

In April, William Kuebler—Khadr’s military lawyer—argued during a pre-trial hearing that the deadly grenade may have been thrown by an American soldier.

Earlier this month, a report revealed that Canadian officials were aware of the harsh treatment that Khadr was subjected to in Guantanamo. According to the document, the U.S. military "deprived" Khadr of sleep for weeks in order to make him "more amenable and willing to talk." Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper has ruled out any change in policy.

On Jul. 15, Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae discussed the situation, saying, "What we’re seeing is a severely traumatized man, who at the time of the interviews is only 16. With every passing day it certainly becomes clearer to me, at any rate, that he’s a Canadian justice problem. We’ve got to take custody of this young man and try to deal with what we’re facing."

Khadr’s military trial is expected to start on Oct. 8.

Polling Data

As you may know, Canadian citizen Omar Khadr has spent almost six years in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, charged with throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier in a July 2002 firefight in Afghanistan. Khadr, the son of al-Qaeda fighter Ahmed Said Khadr, was 15 when the alleged incident took place. Which of these policy options would you prefer in this case?

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,005 Canadian adults, conducted on Jul. 18 and Jul. 19, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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