Australian Gitmo Detainee Gets 9 Months

In this courtroom sketch reviewed by U.S. Military officials, Guantanamo detainee David Hicks, far left, sits with his defense council in the U.S. military courtroom in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Friday, March 30, 2007. Hicks, a 31-year-old former kangaroo skinner, faces no more than seven years in an Australian prison after pleading guilty at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to aiding al-Qaida. It is the first conviction at a U.S. war-crimes trial since World War II. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool) (Janet Hamlin - AP)

A Muslim convert, Hicks allegedly attended al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, conducting surveillance on the British and American embassies as part of his training. He had spent only two hours on the Taliban front line before it collapsed in November 2001 under attack by U.S. Special Forces and the Northern Alliance.

While fleeing, Hicks came across a group of Arab fighters who told him they were heading back to the front to fight to the death. Hicks declined to join them and was captured in December 2001 as he tried to escape into Pakistan, according to the military's charge sheet.

Hicks had alleged harsh treatment, including beatings, during his more than five years at the camp. But in his plea bargain, Hicks stipulated that he has "never been illegally treated by a person or persons while in the custody of the U.S. government," according to Kohlmann.

Furthermore, the judge said, the agreement bars Hicks from suing the U.S. government for alleged abuse, denies him any right to appeal his conviction and imposes a gag order that prevents him speaking with news media for a year.

Shayana Kadidal, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents hundred of Guantanamo detainees, said the provisions appeared aimed at preventing abuse allegations from emerging and politically damaging the Bush administration.

"If Mr. Hicks' treatment was not illegal, he should be allowed to describe it so the world can judge for itself," said Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union.

In a statement read by his Pentagon-appointed lawyer, Hicks thanked U.S. service members for their professionalism during his imprisonment and expressed regret for his actions.

"He apologizes to his family, he apologizes to Australia and he apologizes to the United States," said Marine Corps Maj. Michael Mori.

The lead prosecutor, Marine Lt. Col. Kevin Chenail, said Hicks deserved the maximum punishment for betraying the freedoms he was raised with in Australia.

"Muhammad Dawood will always be a threat unless he changes his beliefs and his ideology," said Chenail, who referred to Hicks by his alias.

Howard, who supports the U.S. campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, has faced growing pressure for Hicks to be returned home ahead of elections later this year.

"The bottom line will always be that he pleaded guilty to knowingly assisting a terrorist organization," Howard told reporters in Sydney. "He's acknowledged the prosecution could have proved that beyond a reasonable doubt."