DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES LIFE STORY OF ONE OF THE YOUNGEST PEOPLE EVER TO BE HELD IN GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA
NEW YORK, June 3, 2015– This Monday, June 8th at 10pm ET/7pm PT, Al Jazeera America will air “Guantanamo’s Child – Omar Khadr,” an original documentary from White Pine Pictures, Al Jazeera, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and filmmaker Patrick Reed and journalist Michelle Shephard.
Most Americans know little about Toronto-born Omar Khadr, who was captured as a 15-year old in Afghanistan and eventually pled guilty to war crimes, including the murder of an American soldier.
Khadr spent part of his childhood in Pakistan and Afghanistan and not long after September 11th, his father sent him to work for insurgents as a translator. On July 27, 2002, 15-year old Khadr was in an isolated compound in Khost, Afghanistan when a firefight broke out with U.S. Special Forces. During the battle, Khadr allegedly threw a hand grenade that killed Delta Force Sergeant Chris Speer. Khadr was captured and held at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and eventually moved to the newly opened U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002.
In this thought-provoking documentary, we hear from now 28-year old Khadr, in an interview after his release on bail in May, about his decade in Guantanamo Bay, and what he describes as the antagonizing conditions at the controversial military prison. We also learn about his close relationship with his defense attorney Dennis Edney, who represented Khadr for many years and has now welcomed Khadr into his home as he begins his new life outside prison for the first time in 13 years.
“I heard about a young Canadian kid who was detained abroad, but there wasn’t much information on him,” Edney recalls about his first encounter with Khadr. “I wanted to do something. I was so offended that the law could be so subverted.”
“I wouldn’t wish this experience on anybody but I have a hard time wishing I hadn’t had this experience,” Khadr says. “People say if you can go back, would you change anything? I would change the firefight, maybe. But wouldn’t that change a lot of things. I’ve come to know wonderful people, I’ve come to know myself because of this experience. It’s a very hard trade for me.”
“Guantanamo’s Child – Omar Khadr” offers a fascinating look at how international politics and the global war on terror changed the life of a 15-year old child. The film also provides a unique view of life inside Guantanamo Bay, including interviews with former inmates and guards, as well as Khadr family members.
“Guantanamo’s Child – Omar Khadr” is an original documentary from White Pine Pictures, Al Jazeera, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, executive produced by Peter Raymont and directed by filmmakers Patrick Reed and award-winning Canadian journalist Michelle Shephard upon whose book, “Guantanamo’s Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr” this documentary was based.
About Al Jazeera America
Al Jazeera America is the U.S. news channel that provides both domestic and international news for American audiences. Headquartered in New York City with bureaus in 12 cities across the United States, Al Jazeera America is available in more than 64 million homes in the U.S. on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV Channel 347, Dish Network Channel 216, Verizon FiOS Channel 614 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 1219. The name “Al Jazeera” means “peninsula.” Al Jazeera America’s distinctive logo is a calligraphic design spelling “Al Jazeera” in Arabic. To find Al Jazeera America in your area, visit www.aljazeera.com/getajam.
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