Retired US Army Reserve Major Montgomery J Granger from Long Island, New York, obviously does not share author David Hicks' view.
“David Hicks was there when I was there, and he was famous for threatening to kill an American before he left. He threatened and abused guards, and this is in my book. His book will be lies. He’s an al Qaeda-trained terrorist mercenary, and will try and pose himself as an innocent victim of circumstance.”
Granger's own autobiography, Saving Grace at Guantanamo Bay: A Memoir of a Citizen Warrior, is based on his own experiences at the detention centre in Cuba—a far different perspective than that of Hicks.
He is annoyed that Hicks, who confessed he trained as a terrorist in Afghanistan to gain release, may end up profiting from a biography based on lies.
“The talk in the news is whether or not he can keep the royalties from it. There are pundits saying that this book will define what really goes on at Gitmo, but that’s really what my book is about,” Granger said.
Debate continues raging in Australia whether Hicks is still entitled to the proceeds of book sales despite federal laws relating to the proceeds of crime.
Hicks still maintains he didn't break any international or Australian laws. Random House sought legal advice before publishing Hicks' autobiography.
Al-Qaeda Terrorist
Adelaide-born Hicks travelled to Albania in 1999 where he became involved fighting for local Muslims with the Kosovo Liberation Army. He converted to Islam shortly after his return home.
A second overseas trip took Hicks to Pakistan in November 1999 where he joined the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (the Army of the Righteous) in early 2000. He also fought Indian forces near the Kashmiri border.
In 2000, Hicks traveled to al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan where he allegedly met Osama bin Ladin. Hicks soon fought Coalition forces alongside the Taliban until his arrest in December 2001.
Hicks claims in his book he was after “adventure and the experience of travelling the Silk Road” until he was captured and “sold” by the Northern Alliance to the United States. Hicks was flown to Cuba where he was incarcerated for over five years in the notorious prison at Guantanamo Bay, claiming he suffered horror, torture and mental abuse.
US Marine Corps lawyer Major Michael Mori is appointed to defend Hicks before a military commission in 2003. Hicks is formally charged on 10 June 2004 with conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder and aiding the enemy. He pleaded not guilty to each charge.
He pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism on 26 March 2007, and sentenced to seven years' gaol. Hicks was transferred to Adelaide to serve out the remaining nine months of his sentence.
Myths and Revelations about David Hicks
Publishing Director, Nikki Christer, discovered Hicks was a talented writer and she “greatly enjoyed working” with him.
“David Hicks is one of the more intriguing figures in recent Australian history. Most people have an opinion about him, but very few know the truth of his experience,” Ms Christer explained. “We’ve waited a long time to hear from him.”
Guantanamo: My Journey took two years to write as it focuses on Hicks' life leading up to his arrest and incarceration. It claims to dispel myths about his life and revelations into interrogation techniques used by the the US military on detainees. He began searching for a normal life after his release from prison in late 2007.
The Australian Government were reassured by the US Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) on 11 October 2006 that detainees were treated humanely despite allegations by Hicks, fellow Australian detainee Mamdouh Habib and the International Red Cross. However, UN Commission on Human Rights' report, released earlier in February 2006, contradicted these claims outlining practices involved torture.
However, Australia Defence Association's executive director Neil James told Melbourne's Herald Sun in July 2010 that David Hicks “cannot and should never have his name cleared of terrorism charges.”
Hicks' lawyer, Steve Kenny, denied his client had committed a crime after ignoring his admissions and boasts of voluntarily joining terrorist camps. James argued Hicks was detained at Guantanamo Bay from 2001 to 2007 as a belligerent captured in war, not for any crime, and that was lawful under the Geneva convention. Hicks never faced an Australian court due to a legal loophole in archaic laws. Anyone now serving with an enemy force in conflict with the Australian Defence Force commits a serious offence under updated treachery laws.
Guantanomo: My Journey, published by Random House Australia, goes on sale on Saturday, 16 October 2010, and retails for $49.95.
Sources
AAP, David Hicks gives his story of Guantanamo Bay, Nine News, 16 October 2010
AAP, Don't clear David Hicks of terrorism charges, says Defence Association, Herald-Sun, 19 July 2010
Associated Press, Australian pleads guilty to terrorism charge, MSNBC, 27 March 2007
Johnston, Chris, For the first time, David Hicks tells, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 October 2010
Om, Jason, Hicks to test law with tell-all memoir, ABC News, 24 September 2010
Overington, Caroline, David Hicks – My Story (Media Blog), The Australian, 23 September 2010
Media Release – Random House to publish David Hicks memoirs, 23 September 2010
Multimedia – The Trials of David Hicks, The Age
Carolyn M Cash - Carolyn M Cash is a freelance writer residing in the Sutherland Shire (aka God's Own Country), Sydney, Australia, whilst studying ...
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