Pentagon to delay 'war crimes' trial of youngest detainee
Friday 15 October 2010
Printable
EmailThe Pentagon has postponed the trial of the youngest detainee at the US concentration camp at Guantanamo.
The trial was to resume on Monday but is not now scheduled to begin until October 25.
The decision came after lawyer Nathan Whitling said a potential deal was in the offing for Canadian-born Omar Khadr, who is accused of killing a US soldier in Afghanistan.
Mr Khadr (pictured) was seized after he allegedly threw a grenade that killed Sergeant Christopher Speer during a firefight.
Khadr - now 24 - was 15 when he was captured in 2002. He pleaded not guilty to war-crimes charges including murder, conspiracy and spying and now faces the first civilian trial of a Guantanamo inmate.
Because of his youth the case is one of the most publicly debated by critics of the prison camp.
Child-rights advocates have argued he should face rehabilitation rather than a possible life sentence.
They say prosecuting a minor for war crimes could set a dangerous international precedent.
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