Enough is enough - bring David Hicks home

A message from Get Up for concerned Australians:

"For four and a half years, Australian citizen David Hicks has been locked up - allegedly tortured - without trial. Now, the US Supreme Court has confirmed what the world already knew: that David Hicks never had a hope for a fair trial because the system set up to try prisoners at Guantanamo Bay was fatally flawed from the start.

Enough is enough! No more waiting for a decision to be made somewhere else. No more excuses for supporting a system found to be unlawful. With our government facing unprecedented pressure to find a real solution now, tell them it's time for David Hicks to come home and let justice run its course.

As leaders from around the world had their citizens removed from Guantanamo Bay, and even America's staunchest allies called for this 'symbol of injustice' to be closed down, the Australian Government continued its support.

Their excuse has been that David Hicks cannot be tried in Australia - but eminent legal authorities have refuted this claim.*

The only path to justice now, without months or even years more of unwarranted delays, is for the Australian Government to step up and finally do its job. Demand Alexander Downer and John Howard take action to bring David Hicks home immediately - and let the evidence be heard.

When GetUp first began this campaign last year, media from around the world, starting with The New York Times, reported our willingness to defend the rights of a citizen our government had abandoned.

This week, one of Australia's leading prosecutors, NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nick Cowdery, QC, called Hicks' case "an unprincipled disgrace" and said the Government now had "no excuse" for not seeking his return.

Each of us has the right to a fair trial, and David Hicks' rights must no longer be forsaken for political convenience. If you haven't already, please join us now in taking a stand."

Click here to sign the open letter to the Australian Government organised by the Get Up team.

The violation of David Hick's rights has diminished all Australians. Our once proud stance in defence of international law and conventions has been seriously undermined by the Howard Government's political manipulation of this issue for propaganda purposes and to bolster the egregious strategy of reducing legal rights in the name of national security. You do not defend freedom and democracy by trashing the rule of law. The failure to allow habeas corpus to apply in the Hicks case is a serious human rights violation for which those responsible should be held legally accountable. Bernard Malamud's "The Fixer" should be compulsory reading for said politicians...Enough!