Hicks terror trial given green light (military tribunals resuming)

[Lori Price CLG]

Hicks terror trial given green light

The Pentagon lifted a stay on a trial by military commission of Australian David Hicks, clearing the way for the resumption of trials of war-on-terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

John Altenburg, the appointing authority for the US military commissions, lifted the stay on Hicks' trial and directed the presiding officer to hold a hearing within 30 days to resolve preliminary issues, the Pentagon said.

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No trial date was set in the Hicks case but the action in effect opened a window from October 3 through October 20 during which the case might be heard, Pentagon officials said.

The action followed a federal appeals court ruling in July that reaffirmed President (sic) George W Bush's authority to order trials of war-on-terror detainees by special military commissions in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan.

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Lori Price