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David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib

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David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib Public–September2004 AIIndex:AMR51/115/2004 USA:WhoaretheGuant<namodetainees? CaseSheet5 Australiandetainees:DavidHicksandMamdouhHabib “DavidHickshasbeentreatedinamannerwhichIconsidertobeabusive,aseriousviolationof hishumanrights,andwhichconstitutesacriminaloffenceininternationallaw”–StephenKenny, DavidHicks’civilianlawyer FullName:DavidHicks Nationality:Australian Age:29 Familystatus:Single,twochildrenaged6and7yearsold. Occupation:HorseTrainer Information:DavidHicks,aformerhorsetrainer/cowboyfromAdelaide,SouthAustralia, convertedtoIslamaftervolunteeringtofightfortheKosovoLiberationArmy(KLA)inKosovo. AfterhisreturntoAustralia,accordingtohisfather,hedecidedtogoabroadtofurtherhisstudies ontheIslamicfaithandlearnancientArabic.TothisendhetravelledtoPakistantostudyina Madrassa,anIslamicschool. Followingthe11September2001attacksinNewYork,hetelephonedhisfatherfromKandahar, AfghanistantotellhimthathewasgoingtoKabultodefenditfromtheNorthernAllianceforthe Taliban.Hewascapturedonthe9December2001nearKunduzinAfghanistanbytheNorthern Alliance.TherewereallegationsofabuseatthehandsofhisAfghancaptors. TheNorthernAlliancehandedhimovertoUSauthorities,andafterbeinginterrogatedbyUSand AustralianauthoritiesaboardtheUSSPeleliu,hewastransportedtoGuantánamoBaynavalbase, CubainJanuary2002. In2002,DavidHicksmadeareporttotheInternationalCommitteeoftheRedCross(ICRC)that hehadbeenabusedbyUSofficialsatthecamp.Thoughrestrictedinthedetailshewasallowedto give,StephenKenny,hiscivilianlawyersaidthatthisreportreferredto“specificincidencesthatI believewerenotjusttheactionsofindividualguards,butratheractionsthatmusthavebeen authorisedbysomereasonablyhighuppeopleinthechainofcommandoftheUSforces” “WehadafewlettersandtherehavebeensomemessagesviaMajorMori[DavidsHicks’US Armyappointedlawyer],butthat’sit”–TerryHicks,DavidHicks’father. AfterhistransferaltoGuantánamo,hewasheldinincommunicadodetentionforlongperiods, onlyoccasionalletterstohisfamilywereallowed,andhewasnotabletospeaktohislawyeruntil 12December2003,almosttwoyearsafterhearrivedatGuantánamoBay.Duringthistimehewas transferredfromCampDeltatoCampEchowhere,accordingtohisfather,“heiscompletely isolated.Thecellsarepaintedwhiteandtheydon’tseeanyone”.29June2004wasonlythe secondtimehewasallowedtohaveaconversationwithhisfamilyviatelephone. DavidHickswasoneofthefirstGuantánamodetaineestobecharged,andhasbeenassigneda lawyerbytheUSmilitary.Hehasbeenchargedwithconspiracytocommitwarcrimes,attempted murderbyanunderpriviligedbelligerentandaidingtheenemy.Apreliminaryhearingbeforea militarycommissionwasheldon25Augustandhistrialhasbeensetfor10January2005. FullName:MamdouhHabib Nationality:Australian Age:48 Familystatus:Marriedwithfourchildren Occupation:Businessman–Cleaningcompanyandsecuritycompany. Information:MamdouhHabibimmigratedtoAustraliain1980.HemarriedLebanesebornMaha Habib,andthecouplehavefourchildren,Ahmed(19),Mustafa(16),Maryam(11)andHager(4). ThefamilylivedinSydneywhereMamdouhsetupandranacontractcleaningfirmandasecurity company. Onthe29July2001helefttogotoPakistanonathreemonthvisa.AccordingtoMahaHabibhe “wentsearchingforopportunitiestosetupabusinesstosupportthefamilyandasuitableschool toteachourchildren”.Hehadrecentlybeenthevictimofa“groupbeating”andfeltheandhis familyhadtoleaveAustralia. “I’vebeenintoomanyplaces–IneverknowwhereIam…I’vebeenblindfoldedforeightmonths, IneverseethesunbutIseeyouand[the]kidseveryminute”–MamdouhHabib,lettertohiswife MamdouhHabibwasarrestedinPakistanon5October2001,whileonabustoKarachi.Arrested alongsideMamdouhweretwoGermanswithwhomhehadeatenthepreviousevening.Theywere releasedshortlyafterward,followingdiplomaticpressurebytheGermanGovernment. Incontrast,MamdouhHabibwasdetainedinQuettaandIslamabad,beforebeingtransferred, incommunicado,toEgypt.HelaterclaimedthathemetwithAustralianconsularofficialswho refusedtoactonhisbehalf,andthattheAustralianhighcommissioninPakistanauthorisedhis transfertoEgypt. StephenHopper,hiscivilianlawyer,claimsthatinEgypthewasblindfoldedformonthsonend, thathe“wasbeatenup,electrocuted,injectedwithunknowndrugs,tortured”andthatdogswere setuponhim.FromEgypt,MamdouhwastransportedtoAfghanistan,andfromthereto GuantánamoBay,Cuba,wherehehasremained,detainedwithoutchargeandwithnoaccesstoa lawyer,forovertwoyears. “Hethinkswe’redead,hethinkswe’redead…Godknowswhattheyhavedonetohim”–Maha Habib ArrivinginGuantánamoBay,MamdouhHabibwasreportedlytooweaktowalkafterhisordealin Egypt.Themilitarypoliceatthecampreportedlybelievedhewasfakinghisconditionandplaced himinsolitaryconfinement. MamdouhdescribedhisconditioninGuantánamoas‘torture’toAustralianintelligenceofficials whovisitedhim.TarekDergoul,aUKnationaldetainedatGuantánamoandreleasedon9March 2004,hastoldofpsychologicalandphysicalabuseofMamdouhHabibbyUSofficialsatthe prisoncamp. DergoulstatesthatMamdouh“keptrepeatingtohimself‘They[USagents]havekilledmy family’”,andthatAmericanofficialshadshownhimpicturesofhisfamilyandtoldhimtheyhad beenkilled.“Anylettershe[Mamdouh]received”continuedDergoul“hethoughtwerefakes”. Dergoul,whoforthreemonthsoccupiedthecelladjacenttoMamdouh,alsotoldofphysical abuse.Hesayshe“sawfivepeoplegointohisprisoncell,sprayMrHabibwithmace,usetheir handsandfiststokickandpunchhimandthendraghimout,fromthechainsthatwerearoundhis feet…outofthecellanddownthecorridor”.ReportssuggestthatMamdouh’smentalandphysical healthisdeterioratingrapidly. MahaHabibtravelledtotheUKtomeetthefreedal-Qa’idasuspects;“whenIwaslisteningtothe detaineesspeak,thethingsthatIheard,IfeltIcouldn’ttakeanymore”shesaid. JohnHoward,theAustralianPrimeMinister,inresponsetotheallegationsofabuseofMamdouh 2 said“Well,theyarecomingfromaTalibansupporter”.StephenHopperhasstatedthatthis assertionfromthePrimeMinisterlacksanysubstanceasDergoulwasreleasedbytheUSmilitary afterbeingclearedofanywrongdoingincludingassociationwithal-Qa’daor theTaliban. Background DavidHicksandMamdouhHabibaretheonlytwoAustraliannationalsdetainedat GuantánamoBay. AIisparticularlyconcernedoverthenatureofthearrest,detention,transferralandallegations oftortureofMamdouhHabib.AIisalsoconcernedwiththeallegationsofabuseand mistreatmentofDavidHicks. On25November2003boththeUSandAustraliangovernmentsissuednewsreleases announcingthattheyhadreachedagreementthatanytrialsbymilitarycommissionof Australiandetaineeswouldbefair.TheAustralianMinisterforForeignAffairsandAttorney Generalsaidthattheirgovernmenthad“reachedanunderstandingwiththeUSconcerning procedureswhichwouldapplytopossiblemilitarycommissiontrialsofthetwoAustralian nationals…”.Thisincludedanagreementnottoseekthedeathpenaltyagainstthem. Themilitarycommissionsdonotmeetinternationallyrecognizedstandardsforfairtrial.Besetby fundamentalflaws,anytrialbeforethesemilitarycommissionswouldbeatravestyofjustice.In makingsuchanagreementwiththeUSauthorities,AIbelievesthattheAustraliangovernmenthas betrayedtheirtwonationalsheldatGuantánamoBay.Theyshouldbeusingtheirinfluencewith theirUScounterpartstoensurecompliancewith,notmakecompromiseson,internationalfairtrial anddetentionstandards. AIrenewsitscallontheAustraliangovernmenttoensurethatDavidHicksandMamdouh Habibreceiveafullandfairtrialorbereleased.AIalsocallsontheAustraliangovernment tosupportAI’scallforanindependentinquirytobesetuptoinvestigatethetreatmentof prisonersheldbytheUSaspartofthe“waronterror”. Guant<namoBay–AHumanRightsScandal Hundredsofpeopleofaround40differentnationalitiesremainheldwithoutchargeortrialatthe USNavalBaseinGuant<namoBayinCuba,withoutaccesstoanycourt,legalcounselorfamily visits.Deniedtheirrightsunderinternationallawandheldinconditionswhichmayamountto cruel,inhumanordegradingtreatment,thedetaineesfaceseverepsychologicaldistress.There havebeennumeroussuicideattempts. ManyofthoseheldwerecapturedduringtheinternationalconflictinAfghanistan,from wheretransferstotheNavalBasebeganinJanuary2002underharshconditionsoftransportation. OtherswerearrestedelsewhereandhandedovertotheUSauthorities.Sporadictransfersto,and releasesfrom,thebasecontinue,buttheprecisenumbers,identitiesandnationalitiesofthoseheld hasneverbeenmadepublic. Noneofthedetaineeshavebeengrantedprisonerofwarstatusorbroughtbeforea “competenttribunal”todeterminehisstatus,asrequiredbyArticle5oftheThirdGeneva Convention. Themajorityareheldinmaximumsecurityblocksinsmallcells,sometimesforupto24 hoursadayandwithverylittleout-of-cellexercisetime.Manyhavebeensubjectedtorepeated interrogationssometimesforhoursatatimeandwithoutthepresenceofalawyer,raisingfears thatstatementsmaybeextractedundercoercion.TheICRCistheonlyinternationalorganization allowedaccesstothedetainees. With no opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of their detention and the prospect of indefinitedetentionwithouttrialinsuchconditions,thepotentialpsychologicalimpactuponthose held is a major concern. The ICRC delegation has stated that it has observed a “worrying 3 deterioration”inthementalhealthofalargenumberofthedetainees,andthattheirpsychological conditionhasbecomea“majorproblem”. InNovember2001,PresidentBushsignedaMilitaryOrderestablishingtrialsbymilitary commissionwhichhavethepowertohanddowndeathsentencesandagainstwhosedecisions therewillbenorightofappealtoanycourt.Inadditiontothelackofrighttoappeal,the commissionswilllackindependenceandwillrestricttherightofdefendantstochoosetheirown counselandtoaneffectivedefence.Thecommissionswillalsoacceptalowerstandardof evidencethaninordinarycourts.Thiscouldincludeevidenceextractedundertortureorcoercion. Onthe28June2004theUnitedStatesSupremeCourtruledthatUScourtshave jurisdictiontoconsiderchallengestothelawfulnessofdetentionsatGuantánamobay.Inresponse theBushadministrationannouncedtheformationoftheCombatantStatusReviewTribunal
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