David Hicks - Enters Guilty Plea

This from the BBC:

Australian detainee David Hicks has pleaded guilty at a military court at Guantanamo Bay to a charge of providing material support for terrorism.

The 31-year-old Muslim convert was accused of attending al-Qaeda training camps and fighting with the Taleban.

Other charges against him, including attempted murder, have been dropped.

Of course they have been dropped, they were complete bollocks. His charge sheet is really pathetic to say the least. No-one deserves five years of detention without trial, but certainly not for 'material support'. As for the guilty plea, it is hardly surprising given the treatment he has endured. Any other plea would only have resulted in a longer detention period and even more abuses. Although I have no confidence in the trial process, there is a real chance that David could be on his way back to Australia (although whether he is released is a different matter). What really made me laugh when I read this article (if 'laugh' is the right word) was this paragraph on the BBC's website:

He faces a maximum sentence of life but after strong pressure from the Australian government there is speculation that he will receive a shorter sentence.

Yeah, that Australian government have really worked thier socks off to get David back to Australia, haven't they? I wonder if it has anything to do with upcoming elections and the damage that Hicks' continued detention would have on Howard's campaign? Nah, couldn't be.