Quote:
Originally Posted by 95th Rifleman
You end up prosecuting someone under your laws who genuinely did nothing wrong under his own legal system.
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That's exactly what happened to the Australian David Hicks (well almost exactly, the US was making up a lot of rules as it went along when it started ounding up suspected Taliban and al Qaeda fighters). All those years he spent in Gitmo and he hadn't committed any offence under Australian law. He had received basic military training from Taliban, yes, but he never had anything to do with al Qaeda and had no interest in fighting US and Coalition forces in Afghanistan. He had accepted the offer of training because he had intended to volunteer in Kashmir (but never got the chance).
As soon as Hicks heard that the US and its allies were invading Afghanistan he attempted to leave the country. Not because he was a coward, not to join retreating Taliban forces in Pakistan, not to join al Qaeda, just to make damn sure he didn't end up on a two way shooting range with US and Coalition forces. Hicks was picked up at the border by Northern Alliance irregulars who arrested him and handed him to US forces purely to collect the bounty on offer for all Taliban fighters.
Then the Australian government at the time hung Hicks out to dry. It was absolutely appalling. I don't agree with many of the choices Hicks made in his life, converting to Islam and travelling to the places he went to but the only crime under Australian law that the Australian Government tried to pin on him was acting as a mercenary but that charge wouldn't stick because at the time that Hicks was training with the Taliban the Taliban was the recognised, legitimate government of Afghanistan. Its not a crime under Australian law to join another country's military.
The US could have done things alot better than it did with the whole 'unlawful combatant, throw 'em in Gitmo without charge or trial for years and years and see if they'll crack' policy.