First ever video showing Guantanamo questioning released

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 

Omar Khadr crying during an interrogation by Canadian officials.

For the first time a video showing the interrogation process at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp has been released. According to reports broadcast by Canadian media, the video shows Omar Khadr, one of the prisoners, being questioned by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officials. The video was filmed with a hidden camera through an air vent. It shows an interrogation from late February 2003 and it is being released now under a court order obtained by Khadr's lawyers.

In the video, Khadr can be seen repeatedly crying and telling officials that "you don't care about me."

This image, provided by the Khadr family, shows Omar Khadr in 2001.

Dennis Edney, lawyer for Omar Khadr, responded by saying Dennis Edney "I hope Canadians will be outraged to see the callous and disgraceful treatment of a Canadian youth." He also said that "Canadians should demand to know why they've been lied to."

Omar claimed in the video that he was receiving poor medical care. When an official said "I'm not a doctor, but I think you're getting good medical care," he responded by saying "No I'm not. You're not here... I lost my eyes. I lost my feet. Everything!" The official's response to this was "No, you still have your eyes. Your feet are still at the end of your legs." CBC News has reported that that Khadr's comments about his eyes and feet are in reference to effects from the firefight in Afghanistan.

When the crying continued the questioner called for a break and said "Look, I want to take a few minutes. I want you to get yourself together. Relax a bit. Have a bite to eat and we'll start again."

Khadr, who is currently aged 21, faces life imprisonment for charges as serious as murder if he is found guilty. He also says that he has faced torture in Bagram air base, Afghanistan.

Prime minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly rejected calls for him to ask the United States for Khadr's return to Canada.

"Mr. Khadr faces serious charges. There is a judicial process underway to determine Mr. Khadr's fate. This should continue," Kory Teneycke, Communication Director at the Office of the Prime Minister, told CBC News.

"We might also add in terms of background that the Government of Canada's position is consistent with the previous government's," Teneycke further said. "This is a judicial process as opposed to a political one."

Sources

• "Harper's office stands firm on Khadr position" — CBC News, July 15, 2008
• "First Guantanamo Video Released" — BBC News Online, July 15, 2008
• AP. "Video of Guantanamo Prisoner Interrogation Released for the First Time" — Fox News Online, July 15, 2008
• "Video of Guantánamo Interrogation Released" — New York Times, July 15, 2008
• "'You don't care about me,' Khadr sobs in interview tapes" — CBC News, July 15, 2008