Law groups in the UK, including the Bar of England and Wales, Criminal Bar Association, Bar of Human Rights Committee and Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association, have joined in the critique of Canada’s handling of the Omar Khadr case.

Andrew Holroyd, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, has characterized the military commissions as “illegitimate and irreparably flawed.”

The legal communities in the U.K. sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressing Canada’s unique stance in the Commonwealth world,

We do not believe that Canada, a Commonwealth partner, should remain silent while the U.S. subjects its citizen to such a process. Every other ally of the United States, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia, has acted to protect their citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay.

Perspectives from the Canadian public have been equally compelling.

Critique of Canada’s lack of intervention in the Khadr case has been steadily rising since the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Annual General Meeting last summer, where they issued a similar call to the Prime Minister. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin was in attendance at the meeting.

Bernard Amyot, President of the CBA, has stated to Law is Cool,

The war on terrorism cannot be won by denying those suspected of terrorism the fundamental right to answer charges in a fair and open process.

Counsel for Khadr has likewise expressed that the solution to this problem is political, not legal in nature.

Yet, the Khadr case recently was accepted for review with the Supreme Court of Canada.