Australians urge freedom for Guantánamo detainee

By Raymond Bonner The New York Times

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2005


SYDNEY In a little more than a week, a new grass-roots political movement here has gathered more than 7,000 names of supporters on its Web site in a campaign to free David Hicks, an Australian citizen being held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The organization GetUp! was founded in August by two young Australians. They collected the names for a letter to the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, demanding that he take action to have Hicks, 30, brought back to Australia to stand trial.

Hicks was taken prisoner in Afghanistan in December 2001 and sent to Guantánamo. In June 2004, U.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.

Australian officials have said repeatedly that he has not violated any Australian laws, so bringing him back would probably be tantamount to giving him his freedom.

"We're blown away," Lachlan Harris, a spokesman for GetUp!, said about the response to the campaign. "Signing a letter for someone accused of serious crimes is not something one does lightly."

A spokesman for the foreign minister dismissed the campaign. "It's another group attacking the Howard government," said the spokesman, Chris Kenny, referring to Prime Minister John Howard. "What's new?"

The campaign coincides with a growing discomfort among Australians across the political spectrum over the lengthy detention of Hicks and the fact that U.S. officials plan to try him in a secret military tribunal rather than in open court.

In closed-door meetings of Howard's center-right Liberal Party, increasing numbers of party members are expressing concern.

The Bush administration has assured the Australian government that it has a strong case against Hicks, several Australian officials said.

But many other Australian officials, most of whom asked not to be identified, said they were skeptical.

The Australian Federal Police conducted the most extensive investigation into Hicks' activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan, sending investigators there. One senior law enforcement official said the case against him was "very weak."

Another senior Australian official, from a different agency, said that while there was little doubt that Hicks trained with Al Qaeda, the United States did not appear to have any witnesses who could testify to that. And U.S. and Australian officials have said there is no evidence that Hicks ever shot at any American soldier in Afghanistan.

The prevailing view among Australian law enforcement and intelligence officials is that Hicks is more of a lost soul than a hardened terrorist.

SYDNEY In a little more than a week, a new grass-roots political movement here has gathered more than 7,000 names of supporters on its Web site in a campaign to free David Hicks, an Australian citizen being held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The organization GetUp! was founded in August by two young Australians. They collected the names for a letter to the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, demanding that he take action to have Hicks, 30, brought back to Australia to stand trial.

Hicks was taken prisoner in Afghanistan in December 2001 and sent to Guantánamo. In June 2004, U.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.

Australian officials have said repeatedly that he has not violated any Australian laws, so bringing him back would probably be tantamount to giving him his freedom.

"We're blown away," Lachlan Harris, a spokesman for GetUp!, said about the response to the campaign. "Signing a letter for someone accused of serious crimes is not something one does lightly."

A spokesman for the foreign minister dismissed the campaign. "It's another group attacking the Howard government," said the spokesman, Chris Kenny, referring to Prime Minister John Howard. "What's new?"

The campaign coincides with a growing discomfort among Australians across the political spectrum over the lengthy detention of Hicks and the fact that U.S. officials plan to try him in a secret military tribunal rather than in open court.

In closed-door meetings of Howard's center-right Liberal Party, increasing numbers of party members are expressing concern.

The Bush administration has assured the Australian government that it has a strong case against Hicks, several Australian officials said.

But many other Australian officials, most of whom asked not to be identified, said they were skeptical.

The Australian Federal Police conducted the most extensive investigation into Hicks' activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan, sending investigators there. One senior law enforcement official said the case against him was "very weak."

Another senior Australian official, from a different agency, said that while there was little doubt that Hicks trained with Al Qaeda, the United States did not appear to have any witnesses who could testify to that. And U.S. and Australian officials have said there is no evidence that Hicks ever shot at any American soldier in Afghanistan.

The prevailing view among Australian law enforcement and intelligence officials is that Hicks is more of a lost soul than a hardened terrorist.

SYDNEY In a little more than a week, a new grass-roots political movement here has gathered more than 7,000 names of supporters on its Web site in a campaign to free David Hicks, an Australian citizen being held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The organization GetUp! was founded in August by two young Australians. They collected the names for a letter to the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, demanding that he take action to have Hicks, 30, brought back to Australia to stand trial.

Hicks was taken prisoner in Afghanistan in December 2001 and sent to Guantánamo. In June 2004, U.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.

Australian officials have said repeatedly that he has not violated any Australian laws, so bringing him back would probably be tantamount to giving him his freedom.

"We're blown away," Lachlan Harris, a spokesman for GetUp!, said about the response to the campaign. "Signing a letter for someone accused of serious crimes is not something one does lightly."

A spokesman for the foreign minister dismissed the campaign. "It's another group attacking the Howard government," said the spokesman, Chris Kenny, referring to Prime Minister John Howard. "What's new?"

The campaign coincides with a growing discomfort among Australians across the political spectrum over the lengthy detention of Hicks and the fact that U.S. officials plan to try him in a secret military tribunal rather than in open court.

In closed-door meetings of Howard's center-right Liberal Party, increasing numbers of party members are expressing concern.

The Bush administration has assured the Australian government that it has a strong case against Hicks, several Australian officials said.

But many other Australian officials, most of whom asked not to be identified, said they were skeptical.

The Australian Federal Police conducted the most extensive investigation into Hicks' activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan, sending investigators there. One senior law enforcement official said the case against him was "very weak."

Another senior Australian official, from a different agency, said that while there was little doubt that Hicks trained with Al Qaeda, the United States did not appear to have any witnesses who could testify to that. And U.S. and Australian officials have said there is no evidence that Hicks ever shot at any American soldier in Afghanistan.

The prevailing view among Australian law enforcement and intelligence officials is that Hicks is more of a lost soul than a hardened terrorist.

SYDNEY In a little more than a week, a new grass-roots political movement here has gathered more than 7,000 names of supporters on its Web site in a campaign to free David Hicks, an Australian citizen being held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The organization GetUp! was founded in August by two young Australians. They collected the names for a letter to the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, demanding that he take action to have Hicks, 30, brought back to Australia to stand trial.

Hicks was taken prisoner in Afghanistan in December 2001 and sent to Guantánamo. In June 2004, U.S. prosecutors charged him with conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.

Australian officials have said repeatedly that he has not violated any Australian laws, so bringing him back would probably be tantamount to giving him his freedom.

"We're blown away," Lachlan Harris, a spokesman for GetUp!, said about the response to the campaign. "Signing a letter for someone accused of serious crimes is not something one does lightly."

A spokesman for the foreign minister dismissed the campaign. "It's another group attacking the Howard government," said the spokesman, Chris Kenny, referring to Prime Minister John Howard. "What's new?"

The campaign coincides with a growing discomfort among Australians across the political spectrum over the lengthy detention of Hicks and the fact that U.S. officials plan to try him in a secret military tribunal rather than in open court.

In closed-door meetings of Howard's center-right Liberal Party, increasing numbers of party members are expressing concern.

The Bush administration has assured the Australian government that it has a strong case against Hicks, several Australian officials said.

But many other Australian officials, most of whom asked not to be identified, said they were skeptical.

The Australian Federal Police conducted the most extensive investigation into Hicks' activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan, sending investigators there. One senior law enforcement official said the case against him was "very weak."

Another senior Australian official, from a different agency, said that while there was little doubt that Hicks trained with Al Qaeda, the United States did not appear to have any witnesses who could testify to that. And U.S. and Australian officials have said there is no evidence that Hicks ever shot at any American soldier in Afghanistan.

The prevailing view among Australian law enforcement and intelligence officials is that Hicks is more of a lost soul than a hardened terrorist.

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