The sister of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr has started a hunger strike on the lawn of Parliament Hill, saying she hopes her presence serves as a daily reminder to politicians about her 22-year-old brother's continued incarceration.

But for lawyers and activists who have tried to publicize Khadr's case by stressing the fact he was 15 when captured and raising questions about the legality of Guantanamo's trials, Zaynab Khadr's protest was not welcome news.

"As much as I understand the desperation that the sister feels about bringing her young brother home ... her protest must not distract from the fact that Canada has an obligation to Omar Khadr," his Canadian lawyer Dennis Edney said yesterday.

The Toronto-born Khadr has been held for six years in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He faces five war crimes, including murder for allegedly throwing a grenade that fatally wounded a U.S. soldier during a 2002 firefight in Afghanistan.

The eldest child in the Khadr family, Zaynab gained notoriety in Canada after a 2004 CBC documentary exposed her family's connections to Al Qaeda leaders. It was later revealed the RCMP is investigating Zaynab for terrorism connections and seized her computer when she returned to Canada three years ago from Pakistan. No charges have been laid.

Outspoken and brash, 28-year-old Zaynab has not shied from the controversy and recently started a website with her family called "The Khadr Legacy."

She said in an interview Sunday she's well aware of her reputation in Canada but welcomed people to talk to her during the hunger strike.

"Rallies are nice but not loud enough," she said. "Omar is my brother but injustice is injustice and what's happening is not right.

"If at the end of the day I'm going to realize that the whole of Canada is as bad as they think I am, I will know there is no hope left."

A news release about the hunger strike noted Zaynab will record her "last and final thoughts" on a blog, but she said it is against her religion to starve herself to death.



