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Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for Trial

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Tue Jan 11, 2005 at 06:36:58 PM EST
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The U.S. released the last four British citizens being held at Guantanamo today, and one Australian, Mamdouh Habib. No charges were ever filed against them. They were held for three years.

The Pentagon is refusing to release Australian David Hicks, who is set to face a military tribunal trial in March. His military lawyer claims a double standard is being used. Hicks' Australian lawyer says his trial might not begin for another three years.

Amnesty International is calling upon the Government to reveal the terms of the deals made with Britain and Australia to secure the prisoners' release. It also wants an investigation into their claims of torture. Last August, David Hicks has filed an affidavit alleging abuse and mistreatment at Guantanamo, you can read it here.

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    Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for Trial | 12 comments (12 topical)
    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#1)
    by bad Jim on Tue Jan 11, 2005 at 09:45:27 PM EST
    The first paragraph from the Guardian article makes me wonder how any of us can be proud to be American:
    The four Britons soon to be released from Guantánamo Bay after up to three years in detention may need months of care when they arrive back home, experts in treating torture victims warned yesterday.
    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 11, 2005 at 11:01:12 PM EST
    It would be great to know who is who in this war. But after all bush did ran the biggest prison states and he must like the system a real lot, must Guantanamo must feel like home to bush.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 12, 2005 at 07:00:15 AM EST
    Where have you been, wg? They beat people to death. They smothered people. I think it is safe to assume that what we know is the tip of the iceberg. Just cruise these comment pages and look at the comments from "patriots" who think people are getting what they deserve, who can't tell an average dirt-farming iraqi or afghani named Mahmood from Osama Bin Laden. We are engaged in random violence against muslims. Christian ayatollahs. We have created a new generation of terrorists with our activities since 9-11. It's good for the defense industry. We need an enemy. The russkies folded. Remember the peace dividend? Forget about it. We blew right through the country's potential for fiscal stability in order to build patriot missiles, cluster bombs, daisy cutters. We have to have somebody as a target for these engines of our economy.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 12, 2005 at 07:35:46 AM EST
    After reading Hick's affadavit, I'm once again sickened and ashamed to be an American. I hope all readers understand that to the detainees, you and me are complicit in all military actions. No blaming the dictator, the military, the regime. We voted for this president and reaffirmed this policy.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 12, 2005 at 08:16:53 AM EST
    i am not sickened and ashamed to be an american - i am sickened and ashamed at what our country has been allowed to become. you are absolutely right that we are complicit, and should not be allowed to shirk our responsibility for allowing these atrocities to occur by allowing this administration to remain in power. but i am, and always will be, proud to be an american, proud to be a voter and a tax payer, proud to speak out against the anti-american values and actions that our current administration condones, and proud to live here and raise my child here. sorry to get on my soap box, but i have heard that phrase (i am ashamed to be an american) repeated by many people lately. and if we weren't american, we wouldn't enjoy a lot of the freedoms we currently take for granted. the best we can do is utilize our freedoms to try and make positive changes.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 12, 2005 at 08:28:00 AM EST
    I do agree with you in principle, kelite and definitely love my country and being an American. However, living and working in a very international community I do actually feel shame when discussing international politics and our country's role as well as when I read stories of abuse or see that the worst case scenarios have come true in Iraq and young men and women are sacrificing their lives to these mistakes. I therefore hate hearing it, especially from myself but hate feeling it more.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 12, 2005 at 08:54:25 AM EST
    i can agree with you there, mfox. when i speak to my family in canada and in wales, and they ask me how in the world we can allow these things to happen... my family in canada even offered to sponsor my move there. and i was tempted, for a minute. but i really think my obligation is to stay and make changes, because i do love america. i guess i also worry about the reaction to statements like that. republicans love to paint democrats as 'unpatriotic'. i can hear them now... 'lefty mfox states that she is sickened and ashamed to be an american! sickened and ashamed? let's put him/her on the enemy combatants list!' yeah, probably paranoid. and maybe i read 'the handmaids tale' a few dozen times too many. but i feel scary times ahead...

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 12, 2005 at 09:30:58 AM EST
    Yikes re: the Handmaid's Tale. I work in Harvard Square where it is set and walk by the Harvard Gates every day. I must say aspects of this story have haunted me more of late as well. I realized how much I am an American and love my country when my pre-election desire to immigrate dissipated into a grim post-election patience.
    my family in canada even offered to sponsor my move there. and i was tempted, for a minute. but i really think my obligation is to stay and make changes, because i do love america.
    My feelings, it turned out, exactly. BTW, As far as I can tell, I'm well on my way to getting on that enemy list by exercising my right to free speech and joining the ACLU. Re: Interpretatin of my statements by the Right. I do feel shame. I think it is Patriotic to do so. My loyalty is to this republic, not to it's elected head and I have an obligation as a citizen to oppose Corrosion of the rights the founding fathers gave me (as interpreted by the Supreme Court, of course). When I say I'm a liberal they twist that to mean Wimpy, Communist, Babykiller, gay-lover, out of touch and basically not fit to live in this world. I don't know what to do about this but "toning down" my statments of feeling shame so that I can sit at the table doesn't seem like the right answer.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Jan 12, 2005 at 10:22:20 AM EST
    mfox; fair enough.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Jan 13, 2005 at 12:02:49 PM EST
    Bad Jim..... I read the article you linked... There has been a lot of empty talk on here and in various articles like this one that "Their detention was unlawful", when in fact (and I think time will bare this out) it was not. Anyone taken in the field of battle (and in this war that is a huge field) can be held until the 'war' is over. The fact that these people were held that long says something about what they knew or what they did. As far as I'm concerned...they should throw away the key. We don't need anymore 'shoe bombers' running around. By the way...I'm VERY proud to be an American.... & you can leave any time... along with all those Hollywood blowhards that threatend to if GW was re-elected. Hope the door hits em in the ass on the way out!

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#12)
    by kdog on Thu Jan 13, 2005 at 12:07:01 PM EST
    I'm not ashamed of our govt's actions, shame implies a connection, and I feel no connection to our govt. The politicians in Washington may as well be from a different planet. I am a bit ashamed of myself for continuing to pay taxes that help pay for the terrible actions of our gov't. If I had a pair, I'd quit and find something off the books. But that's the only connection I have with our gov't, the fact that I give them money. Otherwise, they don't represent me one iota.

    Re: Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for (none / 0) (#13)
    by glanton on Thu Jan 13, 2005 at 01:03:20 PM EST
    have to agree with kdog on this one. we have no more reason to be ashamed because of this government's megalomaniac policies than we do to be ashamed because of the Enron scandal. "those ruling us right now don't 'represent' me in the slightest, and do nothing in my name." that's the only rational way for a conscientious person to look at this.

    Five Released from Guantanamo, Hicks Kept for Trial | 12 comments (12 topical)