Democracynow.org headlines Part II

U.S. Criticized For Detaining Australian at Guantanamo

In Australia, calls are increasing for the U.S. government to hand over the Australian citizen David Hicks who has been held at Guantanamo Bay for the past five years. Last week Hicks became the first detainee at Guantanamo to be charged under the Military Commissions Act. The U.S. government had originally accused Hicks of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to engage in acts of terrorism, attempted murder and aiding the enemy. But now he is being charged with a single crime -- providing material support for terrorism. David Hicks' military attorney Major Michael Mori, criticized the U.S. government's handling of Hicks' case.

Major Michael Mori: "I think they realise that everybody else in the world realize that it was made up in a BS charge. It was ridiculous. No one thought that you could charge him with attempted murder when you admit, when the prosecution admitted that they never shot anybody. But yet they let that go on for two and a half years. It's embarrassing that it's gone on for this long."

Now Hicks' attorney Major Michael Mori might be in trouble himself. The Pentagon is threatening to remove him from the case and charge him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The army's chief prosecutor has accused Mori of using contemptuous language towards the president, vice-president, and secretary of defense. Mori could lose his job and go to jail.