Australia Lobbies U.S. on Detainee
The United States has assured Australia that it will not seek a death sentence against an Australian terrorism suspect detained at Guantanamo Bay if he is convicted, Defense Minister Robert Hill said Monday.
The comment came as Australian Justice Minister Christopher Ellison arrived in Washington to join a British delegation lobbying U.S. officials for a fair trial for detained nationals.
The United States agreed last week to temporarily suspend legal action against Australian David Hicks, 27, and two British citizens -- Feroz Abbasi, 23, and Moazzam Begg, 35 -- held at the U.S. base in Cuba. The three were among six men set to face military tribunals as “enemy combatants” against the United States.
Hicks was captured while allegedly fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan and has been imprisoned without charge at Guantanamo Bay for 18 months.
According to U.S. authorities, Hicks trained with Al Qaeda for several months in surveillance techniques and with weaponry, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today. “The training was during the period during 2000 and 2001,” he said.
Australia has been one of Washington’s closest allies since Sept. 11, 2001, sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq.
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