Hicks' father welcomes plea deal
By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press
CANBERRA, Australia - The father of self-confessed al Qaeda foot soldier David Hicks welcomed the leniency of his son's nine-month prison sentence, but vowed Saturday to continue complaining about his son's treatment at the U.S military prison on Cuba.
David Hicks will serve his sentence in a prison in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia, after admitting to aiding terrorism in a plea deal at Guantánamo Bay that required him to state he had never been illegally treated during his five years in U.S. custody.
''I believe one of provisos was that he had to sign a form to say he wasn't badly treated,'' Terry Hicks told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. ``We know for a fact that he was, and I'm going to push that issue.''
The plea agreement also bars the 31-year-old Muslim convert from suing the U.S. government for alleged abuse, forfeits any right to appeal his conviction and imposes a gag order that prevents him speaking with news media for a year from his sentencing date.
He had previously reported being beaten and deprived of sleep during his more than five years at Guantánamo Bay, but during his sentencing hearing thanked U.S. personnel for their professionalism during his imprisonment.
Terry Hicks, a vocal critic of the U.S. military commission system, has maintained his son had only pleaded guilty because he could not get a fair trial and wanted to come home.
''It's a lot better than 12 years or seven or two or whatever they were touting throughout the night,'' Hicks said of the nine-month sentence negotiated in the plea bargain.
''At least he's back home. He's out of that hellhole,'' he said, referring to a U.S. commitment to repatriate his son within 60 days.
Before the sentence was announced, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer welcomed the conviction as ``bringing to an end a long saga.''
Hicks, a former kangaroo skinner who says he has now given up Islam, was captured by the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance in December 2001 and was flown weeks later to the remote U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba.
Downer said his government wanted Hicks to serve his full sentence.
''If any Australian gets involved in terrorist activities, they get no sympathy from us,'' he told the ABC.
Downer said he expected Hicks would leave Cuba much earlier than the 60 days allowed under the exchange agreement.
Prime Minister John Howard, a staunch ally in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism, has long rejected pressure for Hicks to be repatriated, despite legal and human rights groups condemning the military commission system as unfair.
Terry Hicks suspected his son's prohibition on speaking to the media for a year was aimed at silencing him as Howard seeks his fifth three-year term as prime minister at elections due late this year.
'John Howard will probably be putting his head up saying: `see, he's a terrorist,' '' the father said.
By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press
CANBERRA, Australia - The father of self-confessed al Qaeda foot soldier David Hicks welcomed the leniency of his son's nine-month prison sentence, but vowed Saturday to continue complaining about his son's treatment at the U.S military prison on Cuba.
David Hicks will serve his sentence in a prison in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia, after admitting to aiding terrorism in a plea deal at Guantánamo Bay that required him to state he had never been illegally treated during his five years in U.S. custody.
''I believe one of provisos was that he had to sign a form to say he wasn't badly treated,'' Terry Hicks told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. ``We know for a fact that he was, and I'm going to push that issue.''
The plea agreement also bars the 31-year-old Muslim convert from suing the U.S. government for alleged abuse, forfeits any right to appeal his conviction and imposes a gag order that prevents him speaking with news media for a year from his sentencing date.
He had previously reported being beaten and deprived of sleep during his more than five years at Guantánamo Bay, but during his sentencing hearing thanked U.S. personnel for their professionalism during his imprisonment.
Terry Hicks, a vocal critic of the U.S. military commission system, has maintained his son had only pleaded guilty because he could not get a fair trial and wanted to come home.
''It's a lot better than 12 years or seven or two or whatever they were touting throughout the night,'' Hicks said of the nine-month sentence negotiated in the plea bargain.
''At least he's back home. He's out of that hellhole,'' he said, referring to a U.S. commitment to repatriate his son within 60 days.
Before the sentence was announced, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer welcomed the conviction as ``bringing to an end a long saga.''
Hicks, a former kangaroo skinner who says he has now given up Islam, was captured by the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance in December 2001 and was flown weeks later to the remote U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba.
Downer said his government wanted Hicks to serve his full sentence.
''If any Australian gets involved in terrorist activities, they get no sympathy from us,'' he told the ABC.
Downer said he expected Hicks would leave Cuba much earlier than the 60 days allowed under the exchange agreement.
Prime Minister John Howard, a staunch ally in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism, has long rejected pressure for Hicks to be repatriated, despite legal and human rights groups condemning the military commission system as unfair.
Terry Hicks suspected his son's prohibition on speaking to the media for a year was aimed at silencing him as Howard seeks his fifth three-year term as prime minister at elections due late this year.
'John Howard will probably be putting his head up saying: `see, he's a terrorist,' '' the father said.
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