Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr says he will continue to fight for his freedom.

Khadr, 32, was in an Edmonton courtroom Thursday to apply for changes to bail conditions which were imposed on him while he appeals war crimes convictions by a U.S. military commission.

He is asking for a Canadian passport to travel to Saudi Arabia and wants permission to speak to his sister on his own.

B次元官网网址淲hen I initially asked for bail, I didnB次元官网网址檛 expect it to take this long,B次元官网网址� Khadr said in a statement outside court. B次元官网网址淢y sentence initially should have ended this past October.

B次元官网网址淭his is not the first time my life has been held in suspension. I am going to continue to fight this injustice and thankfully we have an actual court system that has actual rules and laws.B次元官网网址�

Khadr spent years in U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay after he was caught at age 15 and accused of tossing a grenade that killed special forces soldier Christopher Speer at a militant compound in Afghanistan in 2002.

RELATED

His lawyer, Nathan Whitling, told Court of QueenB次元官网网址檚 Bench Justice June Ross that his client has been a B次元官网网址渕odel of complianceB次元官网网址� and should have his bail conditions loosened. He said KhadrB次元官网网址檚 appeal in the U.S. hasnB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址渕oved a single inchB次元官网网址� while his client has obeyed all the conditions of his release.

B次元官网网址淭here is still no end in sight,B次元官网网址� he told Ross. B次元官网网址淢r. Khadr has now been out on bail so long and has an impeccable record.

B次元官网网址淢y goodness, when is this going to end?B次元官网网址�

Khadr wants to perform the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims once in their lifetime.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no good reason why he shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be able to do that,B次元官网网址� Whitling said.

Khadr would also like to be able to speak on the phone or over Skype to his sister Zaynab Khadr. She has spoken in favour of al-Qaida in the past and was investigated in Canada more than a decade ago for helping the terrorist network, but was never charged.

The rules of KhadrB次元官网网址檚 bail allow him to meet with her but only in the presence of his bail supervisor or one of his lawyers.

Whitling said itB次元官网网址檚 preposterous Khadr could speak to his sister and develop any extremist views.

Khadr also needs permission to travel outside Alberta, and has made several trips to Toronto to visit his family and to deal with a civil lawsuit there seeking to enforce a multimillion-dollar judgment against him in Utah in favour of SpeerB次元官网网址檚 widow.

Both provincial and federal Crown prosecutors argued the conditions are appropriate considering Khadr pleaded guilty to serious crimes and B次元官网网址渉e stands convicted.B次元官网网址�

Doreen Mueller, a lawyer for the province, argued Khadr is not prevented from talking to his sister.

Federal prosecutor Bruce Hughson added that Khadr can speak to his sister as long as someone else is in the room, which could be his wife if thatB次元官网网址檚 approved by a supervisor.

Whitling also asked the judge for an order that would allow Khadr to apply for parole even though heB次元官网网址檚 not serving a sentence B次元官网网址� an unusual move that would put an end on KhadrB次元官网网址檚 conditions.

Ross reserved her decision until Dec. 21.

RELATED:

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 enough unprecedented aspects to this application that IB次元官网网址檓 going to take some time to think about it,B次元官网网址� she said.

KhadrB次元官网网址檚 case has ignited sharp and divisive debate since the summer of 2017 when it was revealed the federal government had settled a lawsuit filed by him for a reported $10.5 million. The payout followed a 2010 ruling by CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Supreme Court that KhadrB次元官网网址檚 charter rights were violated at Guantanamo and Canadian officials contributed to that violation.

Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said he hopes the court doesnB次元官网网址檛 grant KhadrB次元官网网址檚 request.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think itB次元官网网址檚 a good idea that someone who has this track record has more access to members of his family who continue to speak out celebrating acts of terrorism, glorifying acts of violence,B次元官网网址� he said in Ottawa. B次元官网网址滻 think thatB次元官网网址檚 just despicable.B次元官网网址�

Colette Derworiz, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .