Australia debarked once again as US tells its lapdog to heel

[struggle4progress]

July 27, 2012
Richard Ackland

... A special plea arrangement was rushed to conclusion. After more than five years at Guantanamo Bay and having been overcharged with a litany of offences, Hicks grabbed what was on offer, a guilty plea to a single charge of ''material support for terrorism''.

The ultimate ignominy transpired this week when the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew his prosecution of Hicks under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The proceedings sought to restrain further publication of the book Guantanamo: My Journey and an order for recovery of the proceeds of the book's sale ...


The last sentence of the DPP's statement said: ''I reached the view that this office was not in a position to discharge the onus placed upon it to satisfy the court that the admissions should be relied upon and decided that these proceedings should not continue'' ...

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/australia-debarked-once-again-as-us-tells-its-lapdog-to-heel-20120726-22uzd.html

[struggle4progress]

1. Just because David Hicks signed up to be a martyr doesn't mean it's OK to bully him

CUT & PASTE From: The Australian July 26, 2012 12:00AM
Increase Text Size
Decrease Text Size
Print

MARY Kostakidis in The Sydney Morning Herald yesterday: A VICTORY for the bullied. All the evidence pointed to the fact (David) Hicks's statements about what he had done in Afghanistan were the result of mistreatment by the Americans ... From the start, it must have been blindingly obvious to the prosecutors that the evidence they relied on to establish what Hicks had done was evidence produced by torture and oppressive treatment ... This episode is an example of what happens to bullies when someone stands up to them.

And those pesky letters home? David Hicks letter, May 2001: I HAVE met Osama bin Laden about 20 times he is a lovely brother the only reason the West call him the most wanted terrorist is because he got the money to take action.

Letters to his mother, October-November 2000: IF I do get martyred that is what I want. If Dad rings and says that, you know that your son is dead, say congratulations. Allah will help just let him know that you are happy about it. The only true Muslims are those fighting. I am now very well trained for jihad in weapons some serious like anti-aircraft missiles. The Jews have complete financial and media control many of them are in the Australian government.

Hicks in The Age on Tuesday: IN a way I feel that this has cleared my name and I hope now that the Australian government acknowledges that Guantanamo Bay and everything connected with it is illegal. I've always felt that it's always been political, whether back in the days of Guantanamo Bay and now I've been out for four years and we're still going and there's been some closure to that today. If there was actually any evidence, if any crime had been committed we would have been able to proceed at court but they've pulled the pin, they weren't prepared to fight us on that ...

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/just-because-david-hicks-signed-up-to-be-a-martyr-doesnt-mean-its-ok-to-bully-him/story-fn72xczz-1226435151159