Michael Otterman's powerful book, 
Michael Otterman is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, as well as an award-winning journalist and filmmaker.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
HICKS PLEADS GUILTY
To the relief of Australian government officials that supported his detention, David Hicks has plead guilty to one count of supporting a terrorist organisation. I will have a full analysis of this suprise turn of events later in the week. My initial thoughts include:
1>Military officials intentionally deprived Hicks of emotional and physical contact with family until the day of the hearing. Hicks plead guilty after a tearful three-hour exchange with his sister and father. The prospect of not seeing them again for another few years (a possibility if Hicks had plead not guilty, plus tribunal rules were found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court) was likely too hard to bear.
2> His guilty plea reflects the "success" of American torture techniques lifted from Soviet Russia and Communist China (prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, varying temperatures, etc). In Stalin's days, the goal-- above all else-- was to secure a confession. These techniques do just that-- they get a deprived and dependent prisoner to sign their name to anything to stop the torture. The truth is merely an afterthought.
1>Military officials intentionally deprived Hicks of emotional and physical contact with family until the day of the hearing. Hicks plead guilty after a tearful three-hour exchange with his sister and father. The prospect of not seeing them again for another few years (a possibility if Hicks had plead not guilty, plus tribunal rules were found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court) was likely too hard to bear.
2> His guilty plea reflects the "success" of American torture techniques lifted from Soviet Russia and Communist China (prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, varying temperatures, etc). In Stalin's days, the goal-- above all else-- was to secure a confession. These techniques do just that-- they get a deprived and dependent prisoner to sign their name to anything to stop the torture. The truth is merely an afterthought.