Charges Dropped Against Khadr in Guantanamo

Tweet "Gillespie said it is unclear what will happen to Khadr now, although it is unlikely he will be released.

Guilty--Innocent--It Doesn't Matter--You Won't Be Released

"An American military judge dropped all charges on Monday against Omar Khadr, the only Canadian being held in the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

"The 20-year-old from the Toronto area, who had been facing charges of murder and terrorism, appeared before a military commission, where he was expected to be arraigned.

"Instead, the judge, Army Col. Peter Brownback, dismissed the charges for technical reasons.
When Khadr arrived at Guantanamo five years ago, accused of killing an American medic in Afghanistan, he was classified by a military panel as an "enemy combatant."

"But under the new Military Commission Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in October 2006, the military commissions only have jurisdiction to try "unlawful enemy combatants."

"CBC News's Bill Gillespie, reporting from Guantanamo, said Khadr's classification as an enemy combatant means he was a fighting on the battlefield, but not necessarily acting unlawfully.

"Gillespie said it is unclear what will happen to Khadr now, although it is unlikely he will be released.

"'A greater possibility is that he will be sent back to another panel that will again review his status and perhaps come up with a definition that gives the commission jurisdiction," Gillespie said.

"Khadr, who was 15 at the time, was accused of throwing the grenade that fatally injured killing Sgt. First Class Christopher J. Speer as U.S. marines fought against al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan.