Military Lawyer Who Collapsed in Khadr Trial Being Airlifted to US for Treatment
Updated: The military lawyer who collapsed yesterday while defending Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr may be suffering from a problem related to gallbladder surgery he had six weeks ago and is being airlifted from the base for medical treatment on the mainland.
The trial will be delayed for at least 30 days because of the medical problems faced by the lawyer, Lt. Col. Jon Jackson, the Miami Herald reports in a story noted by How Appealing.
Jackson went back to work only two weeks after the gallbladder surgery to continue preparations for the case, according to Bryan Broyles, deputy chief defense counsel with the Office of Military Commissions. The Vancouver Sun and the Canadian Press have stories.
When he collapsed, Jackson was cross-examining a soldier who had shot Khadr, accused of throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier. Khadr was 15 at the time of his capture. Jackson asked the judge for a brief recess because he was thirsty and then fell to the floor.
Broyles said Jackson’s short-term prognosis is unknown, according to the Canadian Press account. “If the court has to wait for Lt. Col Jackson, the court has to wait for Lt. Col. Jackson,” Broyles said. “That is the bottom line.”
Khadr’s Canadian lawyer, Dennis Edney, has no standing in the U.S. military court, the Canadian Press says. Khadr has fired his American civilian lawyers.
Updated at 9:05 a.m. to include news from the Miami Herald.
