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Omar Khadr was arrested in 2002 for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.  He was then shipped to Guantanamo Bay where he underwent interrogation by a Canadian Security Intelligence Services agent.

In this achey-breaky climate of political strife, anything having to do with the secretive nature of the U.S. no-holds-barred prison in Cuba immediately makes it to the front page of the paper.  And though the 10 minute video surely offers a glimpse into the inner workings of an evil place, this 10 minute video doesn’t show anything.

The most sensational news regarding Khadr’s video is that he was crying and pulling his hair.  He removes his orange prison shirt to show the interrogating officer the wounds he sustained during the grenade blast that nearly killed him and complains he did not receive proper medical care.

Obviously this is a serious matter, and if true, shows the underbelly of Guantanamo … but an underbelly we already knew to exist.

Otherwise nothing relevatory—no matter what news outlet you scour—is revealed.  The interrogation, according to the text I read, seems pretty standard.  He doesn’t cooperate.  He cries and wants to go home to Canada (natch).  He’s sent to solitary confinement.

Is he guilty of terrorism?  Maybe, maybe not.  If convincted, he faces life in prison—an apt judgment if the charges are correct.

This video was obtained and released by Khadr’s lawyers, Nathan Whitling and Dennis Edney.  Of the video’s content, Whitling says,

We hope that the Canadian government will finally come to recognize that the so-called legal process that has been put in place to deal with Omar Khadr’s situation is grossly unfair and abusive.  It’s not appropriate to simply allow this process to run its course.

In theory, I agree.  Guantanamo represents a gross misuse of government power and secrecy.  However, I find it hard to fathom Khadr’s video will open eyes any wider.