WAR: U.S Military Terror Trials To Resume, page 1

The pentagon has moved to resume the military trials of suspected terrorists incarcerated in the US military detention facility at Guantanemo Bay in Cuba. A stay has been lifted on Australian suspect David Hicks and his preliminary hearing is expected to take place within 30 days. Lawyers for one detainee, Salim Ahmed Hamdan had taken the case on appeal to the US supreme Court but the Pentagon has decided to proceed with Hick's trial anyway. So far the stay has only been lifted on David Hicks but three other detainees also face charges by military commission including Hamdan. Those other cases will proceed depending on the outcome of the Supreme Court action. An official from the Pentagon has stated that the Hicks trial was chosen to have the stay lifted as it is ready to proceed.

www.news.com.au
The Pentagon has made some changes to the commission since the trials were suspended in November, following a lower court ruling that declared them unconstitutional.

Previously, the cases were to be tried by three- to seven-member panels of military officers who would serve as both judge and jury.

Under the changed commission structure, a presiding officer will decide issues of law, while the other panel members will decide the verdicts and the sentence.

The rule change also allows the presiding officer to present classified evidence in closed session only if he concludes it would not deny the defendant a full and fair trial.

Only a dozen of the estimated 505 detainees at Guantanamo have been declared eligible for trial by military commission.

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Here goes it seems. I do wonder why the Hicks trial was chosen first to go ahead. It may have something to do with the Australian Government being so heavily in Cahoots with the US administration and allowing the US free reign in Hick's fate. The Arab countries that other prisoners originate from have raised their concerns on the fairness and legalities of the trials upon their countrymen and in the last few months over 600 prisoners from Guantanemo have been sent back to their country of origin by US officials.