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February 19, 2015

Former Gitmo Prisoner David Hicks Seeks Damages for Torture as Military Court Overturns Conviction 
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A military appeals court judge has overturned the 2007 conviction of
former Guantánamo Bay prisoner David Hicks. Captured in Afghanistan,
Hicks was held at Guantánamo for five years before reaching a plea deal
to return to his native Australia. Hicks admitted to material support
for terrorism and agreed to renounce his claim of suffering abuse in
U.S. custody. Hicks had said he was sodomized, beaten and subjected to
forced injections, allegations the military denied. He was the first
Guantánamo prisoner convicted under the Military Commissions Act. Hicks
appealed his case in 2013, saying his plea was made under duress. On
Wednesday, Hicks' conviction was struck down on the grounds his lone
charge wasn't recognized as a crime until years after his capture. On
Wednesday, Hicks called on the United States to pay him compensation for
medical damages resulting from his imprisonment and torture.

David Hicks: "I'm sure no one is surprised by today's long-awaited
acknowledgment by the government of the United States of America of my
innocence. Even the Australian government has admitted that I had
committed no crime. It's just unfortunate that because of politics, I
was subjected to five-and-a-half years of physical and psychological
torture that I will now live with always. … But I do think, however,
that someone should be responsible for my medical expenses. I'm in a lot
of trouble at the moment physically. It's even affecting my ability to
do my day job, which is my only income. So, I'm in need of an operation
on my left knee, my right elbow, my back. My teeth keep getting pulled
because I couldn't brush them for five-and-a-half years. So, it's
becoming a very expensive exercise to fix myself from the years of
torture."

Hicks had previously said he would have died in Guantánamo had he not
pleaded guilty. Also Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott
refused to apologize to Hicks on behalf of the Australian government.

 

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