The real story of David Hicks... what is the evidence against the accused Australian terrorist as he prepares for a US military trial? And what has happened to him while in American custody?
"The Australians, the Americans, they all know this is a façade, this is a farce"... David Hicks' US lawyer Josh Dratel.
"He knowingly joined the Taliban and Al Qaeda. I don't have any sympathy for anyone who's done that"... Prime Minister John Howard.
David Hicks came cheap. As US-backed Northern Alliance fighters routed Afghanistan's Taliban in late 2001, they seized the fleeing young Australian at a taxi station. Then they sold him to the Americans for $1000.
Hicks is due to front a US military commission on terror charges, it may become clear whether this paltry investment has reaped a dividend for his captors, or mostly brought them trouble.
While Hicks has co-operated with interrogators, his case has irritated Washington and Canberra, stirring persistent allegations about American treatment of detainees and Australian acquiescence.
What did David Hicks do to become one of the first Guantanamo detainees to face military trial - and the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars? There is no doubt he spent time in Al Qaeda training camps. But did he, as charged by the Americans, conspire with Osama bin Laden to commit terrorism, aid enemy forces and try to kill coalition soldiers?
Four Corners unravels the story of David Hicks from his early days doing drugs and menial jobs boning chickens and filleting kangaroos, through his restless years of yearning for inspiration and adventure, to his conversion to Islam and his fateful journey to Afghanistan.
This investigation throws new light on Hicks' role as a trainee fighter in Pakistan and Afghanistan - and on his starring role as the only Caucasian scheduled for military trial.
The trial if it proceeds - might produce evidence to damn Hicks. But some, including his American lawyer and a former fellow detainee, claim Hicks is the "token white man" being used to lend the trials credibility in the non-western world.
"The Australians, the Americans, they all know this is a façade, this is a farce"... David Hicks' US lawyer Josh Dratel.
"He knowingly joined the Taliban and Al Qaeda. I don't have any sympathy for anyone who's done that"... Prime Minister John Howard.
David Hicks came cheap. As US-backed Northern Alliance fighters routed Afghanistan's Taliban in late 2001, they seized the fleeing young Australian at a taxi station. Then they sold him to the Americans for $1000.
Hicks is due to front a US military commission on terror charges, it may become clear whether this paltry investment has reaped a dividend for his captors, or mostly brought them trouble.
While Hicks has co-operated with interrogators, his case has irritated Washington and Canberra, stirring persistent allegations about American treatment of detainees and Australian acquiescence.
What did David Hicks do to become one of the first Guantanamo detainees to face military trial - and the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars? There is no doubt he spent time in Al Qaeda training camps. But did he, as charged by the Americans, conspire with Osama bin Laden to commit terrorism, aid enemy forces and try to kill coalition soldiers?
Four Corners unravels the story of David Hicks from his early days doing drugs and menial jobs boning chickens and filleting kangaroos, through his restless years of yearning for inspiration and adventure, to his conversion to Islam and his fateful journey to Afghanistan.
This investigation throws new light on Hicks' role as a trainee fighter in Pakistan and Afghanistan - and on his starring role as the only Caucasian scheduled for military trial.
The trial if it proceeds - might produce evidence to damn Hicks. But some, including his American lawyer and a former fellow detainee, claim Hicks is the "token white man" being used to lend the trials credibility in the non-western world.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home