US to release Habib without charge

[AussieDave]

Australian Mamdouh Habib will be released from the United States's prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without charge.

The US has told the Australian Government it does not intend to bring charges against Mr Habib, who has been at Guantanamo Bay since 2002.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1280289.htm


In addition to the last four Britons who are to be released, one of the two Australians held at Gitmo is to be set free soon. There were stories here recently that he was tortured - will he get to tell of his experience ?? Will he actually get home in one piece ??

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. They're also releasing a Brit today without charge

as a matter of fact in four years, the Bush administration has not got even one conviction in their supposed 'war on terror'. What a bunch of bullshit.

[AussieDave]

4. Well they're too busy chasing the ragheads in Eye-Rack

all those damned terraists - don't you know that's it's a hard job and you go to war with the army you have and not the one you want and - excuse me I have to go eat a banana and scratch my ass now......

[SweetLeftFoot]

2. A joke

One of my fellow citizens has been held without charge and tortured for years yet that craven little rodent at Kirribilli doesn't even say anything.

[soaky]

18. did you see ruddock speaking about habib?

how he will remain a 'person of interest'.... he may be out of gitmo but they'll probably hound him for the rest of his life.

[SweetLeftFoot]

21. Nah ...

I'm living in Scotland so actually manage to avoid slime like Ruddock et al. Instead I have th delightful Alan Milburn and the other little bat-winged Blairites.

[rooboy]

MAN... the stories this guy will tell (if he is still mentally fit).

Other prisoners claim this guy was bleeding from the ears, he was apparently "rendered" to Egypt for a bit of torture and his wife said that he was not in a good way at all.

I hope he comes back to Australia and kicks up a huge storm.

[KitSileya]

23. It wouldn't surprise me if the reason they're letting him go,

is because he's beentortured so much he's sustained brain damage, and is no longer a threat to the with regards to exposing what they have done. That's the only reason I can see that would make them willing to release him.

Honestly, if it was someone in my family being imprisoned like that, tortured, held indefinitely without any form of legal protection, and the rest of the Western world, so-called democratic countries, not saying a peep outside of getting their own citizens home, I'd join a terrorist group faster than you can say Al Qaeda. Only, they wouldn't be terrorist groups to me, they'd be freedom fighters, and I'd work under the motto, 'they also sin, who only stand and watch.' Because as outrageous the behavior of the US is, the silent assent of the rest of the democratic world angers me more, for I expect more of Europe and other democratic nations.

And FYI, I am not an American.

[rooboy]

3. Double post - delete.

[Seldona]

5. I really hate where this farce of a president

has taken us as a nation.

How many treaties and laws is he going to break before people wake up?

Jesus, held for 2 years and tortured, and then let go without ANY charges?

How are they getting away with this? Damn weak spined democrats is how.

I can see republicans supporting this shit. It is like the story of the scorpion and the turtle. You EXPECT the scorpion to sting you.

But why in the world hasn't the Democratic party screamed this at the top of their lungs?

Afraid of being painted a lefty, or whatever the GOP would accuse them of?

Well that would not be so bad, considering we are RIGHT and have the constitution and the bill of rights backing us up.

How frustrating and scary.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. Because they are all in it together

It sickens me to see Clinton playing kissie face with W. But then again, Clinton did continue to bomb Iraq for the 8 years of his presidency, so apparently he doesn't oppose this war too much eiter

It is difficult and frustrating when the Democratic leadership and the MSM all support the actions of this misadministration. I often feel like Don Quixote.

When will it ever end?

[HuffleClaw]

6. it seems to me the guy would have grounds for quite the lawsuit...

...but they'd probably just say he doesn't have the right to sue or something.

[AussieDave]

9. I think it would depend on the gags put on him once he returns

- whether he would be deemed a "security risk" or some crap like that so the oh-so-compliant Government here could prevent his story from coming out.

Fortunately the press here isn't as supine as in the US - there's still hope - if a story is in this man it'll come out.

[rooboy]

10. I think he might have Alexander Downer for libel..

because I'm certain Downer was running around the media saying things like "these are really bad guys"... which would easily be enough for Habib to sue.

[AussieDave]

11. Mate, if Habib's story held up

the entire Howard Ministry would be frog-marched to prison and the GST would have to be raised to 15% to pay the compensation.

Pity it's never gonna happen.........

[rooboy]

12. Habib's story doesn't have to hold up for libel to be proven...

if any of those cabinet ministers or John Howard slandered him oustide the walls of the parliamentary chamber, they're screwed.

[NYC]

16. That's what I would expect.

I hope someone sues, and is allowed to. This needs to be stopped and prevented from recurring.

[velvet]

8. Hallelujah!!

I hope he talks.

[Matilda]

14. I wonder what Howard and Ruddock will do to try to stop him talking?

If he can get his story out, it will increase the pressure for the
release of Hicks as well.

Downer has consistently denied that torture was ever used on both
men, yet his own department has repeatedly said that there were
witnesses to back up what appeared to be credible allegations.

I hope that Habib will be in a fit state to talk, but I imagine his
health wouldn't be too good for a while.

[DrZeeLit]

13. Just two words for him: No Small Planes. n/t

[cal04]

15. Government a disgrace: Habib wife

THE wife of Australian man Mamdouh Habib today called the Federal Government a disgrace for allowing him to be detained without charge by the United States for more than three years.

His wife, Maha Habib, said today she was thrilled when she was told he would be coming home. "I couldn't believe it at first, I asked them to repeat it again just to confirm it," she said in Sydney. It had been very hard for the family to cope while he was in prison, Mrs Habib said. And she was unhappy with the Australian Government's behaviour.

"They are really a disgrace (for) what they've done to my husband," she said. "My husband is an innocent person and he's a family man, and I'm really grateful that God has given us this opportunity to actually prove my husband is innocent and prove what I've been saying all along."

Mr Habib's lawyer, Stephen Hopper, described the imprisonment as "the most disgraceful episode" in Australian history."They haven't played fair, they haven't been objective and indeed there's evidence that suggests that they've been complicit in crimes against humanity," he said."We will pursue those people who have engaged in criminal acts against Mamdouh Habib." Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said today that Mr Habib would remain a person of interest after his release.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11919354%255E1702,00.html

[struggle4progress]

17. Come clean on Habib: Labor

<snip> Mr Habib's American lawyer, Joe Margulies, said an Australian consular official stood by and watched while an American agent stood on Mr Habib's neck and had his photograph taken. <snip>

Ms Roxon said in Melbourne today that Mr Ruddock could not continue to refer to Mr Habib as a suspect in the September 11 attacks in the United States without producing evidence or mounting a case against him. <snip>

"The Government of the US had complete access to Mr Habib... and they have come to the view that they can't charge him, so if the Australian Government has evidence of Mr Habib they need to come forward with it." <snip>

http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11919728%5E1702,00.html

<edit:>

Habib family seeks advice on suing govt

Mamdouh Habib's family would consider suing the federal government for defamation, his lawyer has said. <snip>

Mr Habib, who has been in detention for more than three years, had been accused of aiding the al-Qaeda terrorist network but was never charged by the United States.

The federal government has said that although Mr Habib cannot be charged retrospectively, he would remain a "person of interest".

On Wednesday his lawyer Stephen Hopper said there was no substance in the case against Habib but imputations by the federal government that Mr Habib was still an "enemy combatant" were defamatory. <snip>

http://seven.com.au/news/nationalnews/152232


Reveal terms of deal: Amnesty

<snip> "Amnesty International calls on Attorney-General Philip Ruddock to give details on the apparent guarantees that the Australian Government has made to the US administration to secure Mamdouh Habib's release," the human rights group said.

Amnesty also renewed its calls for the Government to investigate claims Mr Habib and fellow Australian detainee David Hicks were tortured at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. <snip>

Governments which receive their nationals back from Guantanamo Bay must abide fully with their international obligations," Amnesty said.

"Governments should ensure that all claims of torture and ill-treatment made by such returnees are fully investigated. <snip>

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11919659%5E421,00.html

[jayctravis]

19. Ruh Roh.

The US detained someone wrongly?

I hope they treated him nicely.

[radar]

20. That's Really, REALLY F#@!ed up

These guys in charge claim to be better at fighting terrorists; but 4 years in charge and they still haven't successfully convicted anyone.

...And they needed more latitude investigating Americans to get that wonderful record of ineptitude. Plus, starting a couple wars they haven't finished... This would make great comedy if people weren't being killed & or denied their constitutional rights....

* Meanwhile - looking back in time - the previous administration had a decent record of prosecuting terrorists - AND NOT NEEDING 2 PATRIOT ACTS, billions of dollars$$, or massive military casualties to do it!!!

...Feb 26 1993: USA, NYC, World Trade Center A bomb planted in an underground car parked at the World Trade Center 6 killed, 1000 injured Four Muslim fundamentalists are convicted of conspiracy and other charges related to the bombing, thought to have been ordered by Saudi terror master Osama bin Laden. In 1998, the so-called mastermind, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, is convicted and sentenced to life plus 240 years in prison .

...April 19 1995: USA, Oklahoma City Car bomb left outside a federal building 168 killed, 600 injured Timothy McVeigh, 33, a member of an anarchist group hostile to the federal government, is convicted of the attack in 1997 and is executed in June 2001.

...November 1995: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, U.S. military headquarters Bomb Seven killed Four anti-royal Saudi Arabian dissidents, possible connections to Party of God an Iran; beheaded in Saudi Arabia

...May 1998: Unabomber sentenced to life Parcel bombings 3 killed, 28 injured Theodore Kaczynski, alias the "Unabomber", is sentenced to life imprisonment for an 18-year campaign of parcel bombings as part of an "anti-modernist" crusade

http://www.simplytaty.com/broadenpages/terrorism.htm

...8/7/98 - A car bomb exploded outside US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. A few hours later, explosion at US embassy in Dar es Salaam, capital of tanzania. In both attacks, 224 people were killed and almost 5,000 were injured. (Later, a suspect was arrested and he said he was a member of al Qaeda. The US Justice Department indicted 17 member of al Qaeda, including bin Laden, for the two embassy bombings. 4 of the 17 were later arrested and convicted; 13 remained at large.)
...2/00 -- An al Qaeda defector, Jamal Ahmed al-Fadl testified in the trial of four men accused in the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He revealed many details about the al Qaeda network. The four defendants were convicted. ("Jamal al Fadl, an al Qaeda defector who testified in the trial of four men convicted in the 1998 embassy bombings, illuminated an organization structured with bin Laden and his consultative council at the top, surrounded by committees to handle business enterprises, military training, religious policy and even publicity." -- Washington Post, 9/15/01)

http://www.crimsonbird.com/terrorism/timeline.htm

[velvet]

22. Howard on the news tonight

"No we won't say sorry" ... an old, familiar tune.

Ruddock was visibly squirming later on the 7.30 Report, trying to justify how it was lawful for the Australian government to classify Habib as "a person of interest" to be monitored by agencies he would not name in ways he would not disclose. Yet this continuing suspicion and smear would seem to make it all the more necessary for Habib to pursue litigation to clear his name. Do they really want that, isn't a lot of dirt going to come out if he does?