January, 16 2009, 09:35am EDT
ACLU Calls On International Bodies To Intervene In Case Of Alleged Child Soldier At Guantanamo
Obama Administration Should Immediately Halt Military Commissions Proceedings Against Omar Khadr And Mohammed Jawad
NEW YORK
The
American Civil Liberties Union called upon the U.N. Committee on the
Rights of the Child and the U.N. Special Representative for Children
and Armed Conflict to intervene in the case of Omar Khadr, the
22-year-old Canadian national slated to be tried by military commission
at Guantanamo for war crimes allegedly committed when he was 15. If
Khadr's trial goes forward as scheduled on January 26, the United
States will be the first western nation in recent years to hold a war
crimes trial for crimes allegedly committed by a child.
In letters delivered yesterday, the
ACLU urged the Committee (UNCRC) and the Special Representative to
issue public statements calling on President-elect Obama to suspend
Omar Khadr's trial and reminding the U.S. of its obligations under the
Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict,
ratified by the U.S. in 2002, which guarantees certain protections for
former child soldiers.
According to the letter to the
UNCRC, "while such a public statement is an exceptional measure for the
Committee to adopt, it is warranted by the urgent circumstances. If the
trial of Omar Khadr goes forward, it would establish dangerous
precedent for the United States and the entire world."
The ACLU has also called on the U.S.
to suspend proceedings against Mohammed Jawad, another Guantanamo
detainee facing a military commission trial for crimes allegedly
committed when he was 16 or 17. The ACLU is representing Jawad in a
habeas corpus challenge to his unlawful detention.
Last May, the UNCRC, which oversees
compliance with the Optional Protocol, criticized the United States'
treatment and military prosecutions of children held at Guantanamo and
called on the U.S. government to treat children in its custody in
accordance with international juvenile justice standards.
The full text of the ACLU letter to the UNCRC is below and online at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/nationalsecurity/38360res20090115.html
The ACLU letter to the U.N. Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict is available online at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/nationalsecurity/38359res20090115.html
A video calling on President Obama
to bring the United States into compliance with treaties it has signed
regarding the treatment of juveniles who have been recruited or used in
armed conflict, and highlighting the Khadr and Jawad cases, is here: blog.aclu.org/2009/01/14/obamas-child-soldiers/
January 15, 2009
Ms. Yanghee Lee
Chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the Child
United Nations Office at Geneva, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
CH 1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Dear Ms. Lee,
We write to you regarding Omar
Khadr, the 22-year-old Canadian national slated to be tried by military
commission at Guantanamo for crimes allegedly committed when he was
aged 15. If the trial, now scheduled for January 26, 2009, is allowed
to go forward, Omar Khadr will become the first person in recent years
to be tried by any western nation for war crimes allegedly committed as
a child.
We respectfully request that the
Committee on the Rights of the Child promptly issue a public statement
to the United States about the impending trial of Omar Khadr, reminding
the State Party of its obligations under the Optional Protocol on the
Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. While such a public
statement is an exceptional measure for the Committee to adopt, it is
warranted by the urgent circumstances. If the trial of Omar Khadr goes
forward, it would establish dangerous precedent for the United States
and the entire world.
Numerous human rights and children's
rights organizations have recently called upon the U.S. government to
suspend Omar Khadr's trial, and a public statement by the Committee
would reinforce these efforts. This week, the American Civil Liberties
Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First,
and the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers submitted the
attached letter, calling on President-elect Barack Obama to drop the
military commission charges against Omar Khadr. A similar joint letter
was submitted this week by the Juvenile Law Center and over 350
children's and human rights scholars, advocates, and professionals who
work with youth [https://www.jlc.org/files/khadr/Letter_to_Obama.doc].
Both coalition letters also called upon the United States to suspend
proceedings against another juvenile detainee facing trial by military
commission, Mohammed Jawad, an Afghan who is charged with attempted
murder for acts allegedly committed when he was either 16 or 17 years
old.
At the conclusion of the periodic
review of U.S. compliance with the OPAC, in June the Committee
expressed concern that children who were recruited or used in armed
conflict have been charged with war crimes and subject to prosecution
by military commissions, without due account of their status as
children. A public reiteration of the Committee's concerns and
recommendations is clearly warranted at this time.
We hope that you will act quickly on
this matter in the interest of protecting the human rights of children
recruited or used in armed conflict.
Sincerely,
Jamil Dakwar
Director, Human Rights Program
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
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