Tom Schieffer famous for being shrubs lawyer during the ballpark bait and
switch,See...
http://www.makethemaccountable.com/tax/index.htm
Hicks not a POW, says lawyer
16mar03
UNITED States ambassador Tom Schieffer was wrong to compare suspected
Australian terrorist David Hicks with a prisoner of war, his lawyer said
today.
Hicks, from Adelaide, and Sydney man Mamdouh Habib are both alleged to have
links with terrorist network al-Qaeda and are being held at the American
Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Mr Schieffer today said the two Australians, along with the other Camp
X-Ray inmates, would only be dealt with once the war on terrorism was over.
He likened their situation to German soldiers captured during World War II
being held in camps until the war was over.
But Hicks' lawyer Stephen Kenny said that comparison had been shown to be
incorrect by the US government's own actions.
"That was quite inappropriate," Mr Kenny told AAP. "If these people were to
be prisoners of war they would need to be treated in accordance with the
Geneva Convention.
"The United States government has chosen not to do that and is holding them
in violation of international law."
Mr Kenny also said the US government claimed to be fighting for justice and
freedom, but that was not reflected in its treatment of the Camp X-Ray
prisoners.
"If the US government is really interested in freedom and justice they
should be looking closely at Guantanamo Bay," Mr Kenny said.
"These people are being held without trials, without charges and without
access to any other party other than very limited access to the Red Cross,
otherwise the only people they have access to are the US military.
"Many of them would be totally innocent of any wrongdoing."
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6136281%255E1702,00.html
