《大中社论》：赔偿卡德$1000万是加国民主制度的体验

 

日前，特鲁多政府决定向在关塔那摩监狱长达十年的，当年的童子士兵奥马•卡德尔（Omar Khadr）颁发数百万美元的经济赔偿，这一决定引起了保守党及其支持者们广泛的批评。对卡德尔的赔偿话题也成为《大中报》的微信账户“大中生活”的讨论热点。一些反对者对自由党政府的决定深感愤懑，甚至认为向恐怖主义分子提供如此大手笔赔偿已构成对纳税人犯罪！

Trudeau government’s decision to award a multimillion-dollar compensation package to Omar Khadr, the child solider who endured a decade long of mistreatment in Guantanamo prison has sparked wide spread criticism by the Conservatives and their supporters. The topic has also become a heated point of discussion on this paper’s account with social media WeChat. Some opponents seem angry at the Liberal government’s decision, alleging that the massive amount of compensation to a terrorist mounts to committing a crime to taxpayers!

没有错，向那位在阿富汗战场上被俘，并承认向美国陆军军医投掷手榴弹的卡德尔赔偿这样一大笔长款的确会让许多人深感不公，厌恶不已。但是对卡德的赔偿决定来源于加拿大最高法院的裁决，也是自由党政府执行加拿大最高法院的决定的体现。加拿大最高法院于2010年裁定，加国政府因其官员因参与了对卡德尔的审讯，因而对那些侵犯了卡德的人权，并导致他继续被关押在关塔那摩之行为负有不可推卸的责任。

Indeed, allowing Khadr, who was captured on a battlefield in Afghanistan and who pleaded guilty to throwing a grenade that killed a US Army medic, to pocket such a sum brings a sense of distaste and injustice to many. But the compensation decision is part of the Liberal governments’ compliance effort to the Supreme Court of Canada. The highest court of the country ruled in 2010 that Canada, through its agents’ participation in interrogating of Khadr, was partly responsible for the actions that violated Khadr’s human rights, and led to his continued imprisonment in Guantanamo. 

加拿大最高法院判决之关键点在于当时的卡德是一名未成年儿童。根据加拿大人权宪章，政府不能以参与审讯，剥夺其律师权利，并且以审讯结果作为惩罚其证据等一系列手段对付一名未成年嫌犯。

One of the key aspect in Supreme Canada’ ruling was that Khadr was an underage child at the time. Under the Canadian charter of right, the government cannot take part in interrogating a detained youth suspect, depriving his right to a counsel and allowing the results to be used against him.

加拿大是一个法制国家，在其基本法律准则下，未成年人应得到特殊的法律保护。而这一法律原则适用于加拿大所有公民，包括那些不良分子。是否尊重法治，依法治国是区分民主国家与专制国家的分水岭。独裁专制国家给予特殊阶层极端权利，在极权制度下，他们可随意虐待罪犯，视其人权而不顾。但加国对卡德尔的赔偿可看作为其民主制度的体验和验证。而对民主制度的渴望和向往是全球人士的民意所在，也是为什么我们这些移民逃离专制政府，远跨重洋而来的这个国家的主动力所在。

Canada is a country governed by the rule of law, with legal principals that give minors special legal protections. The legal principals apply to all citizens of the country –  including the bad guys. Respecting the rule of law and allowing laws to govern a nation has separated a democratic country from an authoritarian state -- which is ruled by individual officials, who have plenty of power at disposal to mistreat prisoners.  Khadr’s compensation is a testament to Canada’s democracy –  a system that has been desired by people around the world. It is also one of the key characters that has made immigrants like us to flee an authoritarian government and to come to this country.