Australian Guantánamo inmate finally charged

The Bush administration faced renewed criticism over Guantánamo when Australian inmate David Hicks was charged on Mar. 2 with a single count of providing material support to terrorists after more than five years of confinement. Hicks was the first inmate at Guantánamo to be formally charged under the latest version of the administration's military commissions. The former kangaroo skinner and shark fisherman is expected to undergo pre-trial hearings in early April, followed by a trial next July, a Pentagon spokesman said. The proceedings were denounced by detainees' lawyers. "These are show trials," said Michael Ratner, the president of the Center for Constitution Rights. "They don't have habeas corpus rights. They don't even have due process rights. I can't believe that this will be sustained past this administration." Hicks' military lawyer said the decision to drop a charge of attempted murder last month amounted to an admission from the Pentagon of the weakness of its case. "The US had no justification to hold David for five years on those made-up offenses," Major Michael Mori told reporters. The Pentagon had described Hicks as an "enemy combatant," but it was compelled two years ago to drop charges against him of aiding the enemy and war crimes conspiracy for lack of evidence. The Pentagon faces similar difficulties in constructing cases against the 385 or so inmates remaining at Guantánamo. US military prosecutors say they intend to bring charges against only 75 and release about 80 more, leaving scores of others in legal limbo.