[JURIST] The US District Court for the District of Columbia has denied a petition for an emergency medical examination and release of records for a Canadian teenager held at Guantanamo Bay. The petition, filed by the Omar Khadr's grandmother, who has also filed on a petition for a write of habeas corpus on his behalf, argued that a medical examination was needed to ensure Khadr could participate in his defense. District Judge John D. Bates ruled that more evidence was needed of mistreatment before an examination would be ordered. Bates wrote:

To rebut this testimony, and obtain the extraordinary relief they seek through this motion, petitioners would need to submit a more concrete and competent form of evidence than that presently before the Court. As currently framed and supported, then, petitioners' emergency motion is simply not an appropriate vehicle to assess the important, and potentially difficult, issues posed by general allegations of torture of detainees or intentional withholding of necessary medical care.