Widow seeks enforcement of judgment against Ex-Gitmo inmate

TORONTO – Canadian lawyers acting for the widow of an American soldier have filed an application in Alberta seeking enforcement of a U.S. damages award against former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr.

The claim calls on the Court of Queen's Bench to recognize the judgment from Utah, and to issue a judgment in the US$132.1 million award made in June 2015. The application essentially duplicates one filed earlier in Ontario.

The Canadian-born Khadr was 15 when he was captured by U.S. troops after a firefight at a suspected al-Qaida compound in Afghanistan that resulted in the death of U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer.

Khadr was paid US$8 million by Canada's government last month under a court ruling that his rights were violated by Canadian officials at Guantanamo.