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LOS ANGELES - The US military says photos and articles of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's execution were shown to David Hicks and other Guantanamo Bay inmates as "intellectual stimulation".
Hicks' legal team was outraged during this week's visit to the US prison camp to learn Hicks had viewed photos of Saddam's execution and trial.
US Commander Robert Durand, director of public affairs at Guantanamo Bay, today described the articles and photos available to the inmates as "neither graphic nor sensational".
Com Durand said the photos and articles were from mainstream news organisations such as Britain's BBC, The New York Times and the Washington Post and were available to Guantanamo inmates as part of the prison's library and literacy program.
Hicks' lawyers had said the Adelaide detainee had viewed a photo of Saddam hanging from a noose, but Com Durand rejected the suggestion.
He said a photo of Saddam prior to his hanging accompanied a BBC news report.
"Our primary mission is safe and humane care and custody of the detainees," Com Durand said today.
"In addition to our library and literacy programs, detainees are provided with a weekly collection of news articles.
"The news articles, intended to provide intellectual stimulation for the detainees, are taken from mainstream news sources such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, al Jazeera, the Gulf News, and wire services such as AP, Reuters and AFP.
"Articles chosen are not always pro-US.
"Our news program provides current news from worldwide media sources every week.
"The news photos that appear in the stories are neither graphic nor sensational. The news articles are in English, printed from the web.
"A BBC news article describing Saddam Hussein's execution, with a photo of him prior to his hanging, was included in the camp news."
Hicks' lawyers were also upset a poster containing photos of Saddam at his trial were also displayed for Guantanamo inmates to view.
The poster has been taken down.
"Posters in Arabic are also used to bring news in the camp," Com Durand explained.
"A recent poster showed Saddam Hussein's capture, court appearances and sentencing.
"It did not show his execution.
"The intent of this poster was to show that the Iraqi people are making progress and have delivered justice.
"We regret that the language of this poster appeared insensitive.
"The poster has been removed and replaced with more current news."
Hicks' lead American defence lawyer, Joshua Dratel, who was at Guantanamo this week with Hicks' US military lawyer Major Michael Mori, and Australian lawyers, David McLeod and Michael Griffin, were outraged when they discovered the poster and news articles about Saddam's execution.
"Displaying photos of condemned men to those who may be facing capital charges can only interpreted as an attempt to intimidate and compel submission under a threat of death and mentally torture an already abused detainee population," Dratel said.
Hicks has been in US custody since late 2001 when he was captured in Afghanistan.
The US expects to charge him this month.
In Canberra, Greens leader Bob Brown said the showing of the pictures was "premeditated torture".
"The Hicks saga goes from bad to worse," Senator Brown said in a statement.
"The Guantanamo Bay horror is based on unlawful behaviour and sadistic practice by the jailers."
Canberra's federal Labour MPs have sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Party speaker of the US Congress, asking for help in bringing home accused Australian terrorist David Hicks.
"As members of the Australian Parliament, we ask that members of the US Congress take steps to bring about to the return to Australia of Australian citizen David Hicks, - a detainee held at Guantanamo Bay for more than five years - for prosecution here," the letter says.
"We believe that the denial of justice in David Hicks' case erodes values and principals shared by Australia and the US.
- AAP
