GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The lawyer for a Canadian detainee held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Sunday the Canadian people and government both have abandoned him.
Attorney Dennis Edney told Postmedia News as of Sunday morning there was no signed plea deal between the United States and Omar Khadr, a Toronto native.
Canada publicly refused a U.S. proposal that, sources say, would let Khadr be transferred to a Canadian prison after one year. Under the reported deal, he would admit war crimes in exchange for an eight-year "cap" on his sentence, with just the first year served in U.S. custody.
"People show empathy," Edney said, but "nothing happens. I feel, not only the Canadian government, but the Canadian people have let down a citizen, a most vulnerable citizen."
Khadr, 24, has been held at the U.S. detainee facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for eight years. His trial is set to resume Monday, unless he pleads guilty.
Khadr was 15 when captured in Afghanistan in 2002. He is accused of murder in the death of Sgt. 1st Class Chris Speer, who was killed by a grenade. Khadr would face up to life imprisonment if convicted at trial.
