The Wire

Emails leaked from the US Department of Defense read as a damning indictment of the Guantanamo Bay Military tribunals that will try Australian David Hicks. The emails, written by army prosecutors, claim the process is rigged, fraudulent, and thin on evidence against the accused. The emails, leaked to the ABC, were written by two prosecutors in the office of Military Commissions, who have subsequently left their positions. In one of the emails, one of the prosecutors, Major Robert Preston wrote he was so concerned by the process that it was affecting his sleep. “I lie awake worrying about this every night.” Federal Attorney General, Philip Ruddock has announced the government will pursue the matter if the veracity of the emails can be proven. However the latest incident has not stopped him from continuing to defend the military tribunals as “an appropriate way” for the US to deal with enemy combatants while conflict continued. But the Law Council of Australia believes this backs up its claims that David Hicks and other facing the Tribunal have no hope of receiving a fair trial. The president of the law council, John North, also said today that the government was yet to respond to its report, released last week, which found the military commission process to be unfair and unworkable. He gave his reaction on the emails to Erica Vowles.