Australia refused return of detainee Hicks
AAP says Australia has refused US requests to take detainee David Hicks, who has been held in Guantanamo Bay since 2001, because Hicks has not violated any Australian law.
The New York Times says Australia is reluctant because Hicks has not violated any Australian law and would have to be released on his return. Prime Minister John Howard did not discuss Hicks during weekend talks with the US president. And a spokeswoman for Attorney General Daryl Williams refused to confirm the report this morning. Adelaide-born Hicks, 27, has been held by the Americans in Cuba since late 2001, along with Sydney man Mamdouh Habib.[...]
Hick’s Adelaide lawyer Stephen Kenny has called on the Federal Government to come clean over his client’s situation. “It appears that David Hicks is now being detained not at the wishes of the United States government but at the request of the Australian government,” he said. – AAP, Australia ‘blocking Hicks return’.