Due to unforeseeable technical difficulties, we were only able to record the first 30 minutes of the talk. We apologize for the inconvenience:

The ICLMG, in collaboration with Inter Pares and Octopus Books, presents:

The Rule of Law in an Age of Fear: A talk with Dennis Edney, Omar Khadr’s lawyer

Dennis Edney is a Canadian defence lawyer based in Edmonton, Alberta, and originally from Dundee, Scotland. Dennis and Patricia Edney star in the 2015 Canadian documentary Guantanamo’s Child: Omar Khadr, which looks at Edney’s advocacy for Omar Khadr and features interviews in Edney’s home, where Khadr resided as a guest after being released on bail in 2015. An abridged version of the documentary can be watched online here.

Mr Edney spoke about Omar Khadr’s case and the climate of fear surrounding the war on terror and how it has affected and continues to negatively affect human rights, due process, and the rule of law.

On May 7, 2015, after a 13 year imprisonment, Omar Khadr was finally freed on bail. His ordeal is far from over. There are two upcoming 2016 court challenges:

• A civil lawsuit against the Canadian government for complicity in his arbitrary detention and cruel and inhumane treatment at the hands of the United States;
• An appeal to the Court of Military Commission Review in the U.S. to vacate all Omar’s Guantanamo Bay ‘convictions’.

As urged by the United Nations’ Committee Against Torture, the violation of Omar’s rights must be properly remedied.

Poster

Our National Coordinator Monia Mazigh was on Parliament Hill this morning alongside Amnesty International Canada’s Secretary General Alex Neve, Ahmad Attia – Khaled’s brother-in-law – and Tara Collins from Ryerson University to urge the Canadian government to act now and use its new responsible conviction principle to bring the Al Qazzaz family safely back home to Canada.

Khaled Al Qazzaz has been trapped in Egypt for more than 1000 days and he is afraid he will be sent to prison arbitrarily again. Himself, his Canadian wife and children are prevented from leaving without cause.

Find out how you can help here: http://www.freekhaledalqazzaz.com

Watch the full press conference here.

Photos:

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If you would like to support ICLMG’s work, you can start today by becoming one of our social media champions.

ICLMG promotes and protects human rights in the context of the war on terrorism, and thus we often bring attention to problematic national security legislation and governments’ actions that negatively impact civil liberties, especially in Canada. We do this by sharing articles, analyses and calls to action with as wide a network as possible. You can help ICLMG reach new people and connect to broader audiences.

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Thank you for your help!

Since you’re here… … we have a small favour to ask. Here at ICLMG, we are working very hard to protect and promote human rights and civil liberties in the context of the so-called “war on terror” in Canada. We do not receive any financial support from any federal, provincial or municipal governments or political parties. Any donations will go a long way to support our work. On the fence about giving? Check out our Achievements and Gains since we were created in 2002. Thank you for your generosity!