A new debate is brewing across the pond at Guantanamo Bay…

The words Al Quaeda operative, spy, and killer have come to be associated with Omar Ahmed Khadr by American military prosecutors. He is accused throwing a grenade that tore through the skull of 28 year old Sgt. First Class Christopher J. Speer. However, at the time of this crime- Khadr was only 15 years old- a child soldier now facing war crime charges.

Though international law allows children to be detained there has not been a case in modern history in which a child has been held accountable for war crimes. The American military tribunal plans to charge Khadr with murder, attempted murder, spying, conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism.

Khadr’s family also does not endear support from the international community as they have such deep Al-Quaeda ties they are thought of as Canada’s first family of terrorism. However, one would think that in knowing that he was indoctrinated as a young child by Al-Quaeda that it was not his choice and that his inherent path was pre-determined by his family’s will.

The U.S. military is all too willing to write off Khadr based on his upbringing and subject him to the "adult standards" of Guantanamo Bay which is rife with mistreatment and accusations of torture. Were this not an issue so entwined with the political issues brewing around the Iraq War, I would hope that the American public would be more forgiving of actions taken by an impressionable child in response to the war around him. And yet that might be too much to hope.

You can take action now by helping Amnesty International in its crusade to close Guantanamo Bay and also learning about detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay.