The David Hicks-Style Plea Deal
Channel: Cathy Vogan Films
Date: 17/08/2023

The Australian media is reporting that a David Hicks-style plea deal with the U.S. is possible for Julian Assange. Hicks, an Australian citizen, was detained as an alleged terrorist for five years at Guantanamo Bay and in 2007, his release back to Australia was negotiated by the Howard government, only to be jailed for an additional seven months. 

This is what the Hicks-style plea deal looked like. He was filmed him here in 2012 by Cathy Vogan, three years before his conviction on a then bogus charge was overturned, leaving him with no criminal record whatsoever. 

In 2016 Australia was condemned by the UN Human Rights Committee for its treatment of Hicks, issuing the following statement:
 
GENEVA (17 February 2016) – Australia violated the rights of former Guantanamo inmate David Hicks by keeping him in jail for several months under a transfer deal agreed with the US authorities, despite the fact that the sentence imposed on the Australian national was the result of a “flagrant denial of justice”,  UN human rights experts have said.

“Transfer agreements are important, because they allow prisoners convicted abroad to serve their sentences in their own country. But States should not carry out a sentence if there is ample evidence that the trial clearly violated the defendant’s rights, as was the case with Mr. Hicks,” said Fabian Salvioli, Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee.