Father of Australian Taleban wants civilian trial for his son

11.30am

NEW YORK - The father of an Australian held for 19 months without charge at a United States military camp pleaded today to be allowed to see his son and appealed for a civilian trial.

"I have been trying to impress on the Australian government and the American government that I have a dire need to speak to David," Terry Hicks, dressed in orange prison garb in solidarity with his son's plight, said at a news conference with lawyers in New York.

"My biggest worry is David's mental state after 19 months of interrogation."

David Hicks, 28, from Adelaide, is a convert to Islam. Arrested in December 2001 while fighting with Afghanistan's Taleban rulers, he is among about 600 men detained at the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

On July 3, President George W Bush designated six foreign captives eligible to be tried before US military commissions. None was named but two are reported to be British and one Australian.

The Centre for Constitutional Rights, which is petitioning the US government on the Hicks case, said rules for the military commission trials established by the Pentagon are biased toward the prosecution, place unacceptable conditions on the defence and do not allow for an independent judicial review by civilian courts.

Hicks said he last heard from his son by telephone in Afghanistan, "He was off to defend Kabul against the Northern Alliance." He said his son never explained why he originally went to Afghanistan.

"If he is guilty of anything, let's try him in a civil court," Terry Hicks said.

Australian lawyer Stephen Kenny said he had written to Bush and other government representatives without received any reply. He said he wanted to provide David Hicks with his right to legal access and legal advice.

- REUTERS