Canadian Government to Pay Former Guantanamo Child Prisoner $10 Million

A man who spent a decade in a U.S. jail in Guantanamo Bay for the death of a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan will receive an apology and payout from the Canadian government for failing to protect a Canadian citizen.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when speaking with Irish reporters refused to discuss the details of the agreement with Omar Khadr, simply confirming that justice will be done.

"There is a judicial process underway that has been underway for a number of years now, and we are anticipating like I think a number of people are, that that judicial process is coming to its conclusion," he said.

In a firefight during the United States invasion of Afghanistan on July 27, 2002, 15-year-old Khadr was severely wounded. He was subsequently sent to the infamous Guantanamo Bay’s jail, where he was the facility's youngest detainee.

Following his release in 2015, Khadr and his lawyers filed a CAD$20 million wrongful imprisonment lawsuit against the Canadian government claiming the country had violated international law by failing to protect its own citizens and conspiring with the United States by sharing evidence from the investigation.

According to reports from the Star, Khadr will not receive the CAD$20 million, however, his settlement will be at least CAD$10 million. Canadian authorities and Khadr’s team of lawyers negotiated the deal last month, AP reports.

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In 2010, Canada's Supreme Court ruled that its intelligence agents had obtained evidence through “oppressive circumstances” during the then 15-year-old Khadr’s incarceration in 2003.

His case gained international attention when Canadian-born Khadr traveled with his father to fight in Afghanistan. After Khadr’s capture, the child soldier was later charged with the death of U.S. Army Sergeant Christopher Speer.

Khadr, accused of throwing the grenade that killed Speer, was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to 10 years in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

With two years left on his sentence, Khadr was released on bail pending appeal to the Canadian Supreme Court, serving out the remainder of his sentence in his home country in 2015.

The former prisoner apologized to the families of the victims, stating his total rejection of violence. Khadr announced his engagement to the human rights activist responsible for his release and said he wanted to start fresh, finish his education and work in health care.