David Hicks denied medical check
U.S. military authorities have refused to allow an independent psychiatric assessment of an Australian terror suspect held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, his Pentagon-appointed lawyer said Tuesday.
Maj. Michael Mori said he had requested such an assessment because he became concerned about the mental state of alleged Taliban fighter David Hicks during a visit to Guantanamo Bay on Dec. 9-10.
"I was informed that the policy was that the defense counsel cannot bring down mental health experts anymore," Mori told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. Mori said he was given no explanation for the change.
Paul Mullen, a professor of forensic psychiatry from the Victoria state Forensic Mental Health Service, said he had visited Hicks at Guantanamo Bay for two days in February last year and was planning a return visit before he learned of the policy change last week. "Without independent mental health professionals coming in from outside, we have no real idea what sort of state of mind this man is in and how close he is to suicide," Mullen told the ABC. "It's an outrageous situation from a mental health perspective," he added.
Mullen said the 31-year-old Australian and his fellow prisoners did not trust the psychiatrists and psychologists available in Guantanamo Bay because those mental health experts had been involved in the interrogation processes. The defense lawyers also needed to know what Hicks' mental state was when he made statements to his interrogators and whether he was mentally fit to stand trial.
Mori said Hicks had been help in solitary confinement for the past nine months.
Hicks' father, Terry Hicks, said he had ongoing concerns about his son's mental state. Terry Hicks said he was scheduled on Wednesday to have a telephone conversation with his son, who he was told might refuse to talk because of "emotion stress." "I don't think anyone can cope with nine months in isolation," Terry Hicks told the ABC.
"David would have coped for a little while but then the isolation, no one to talk to, guards are not allowed to talk to him, he doesn't see anyone else — it must have some sort of strain on the mental side," he added.
Hicks was captured in Afghanistan by the Northern Alliance in December, 2001, and was sent a month later to the U.S. naval base on Cuba. He was charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit war crimes and aiding the enemy, and was selected to face a U.S. military tribunal. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were withdrawn and his case was thrown into limbo when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the military tribunals illegal in June.
Source: International Herald Tribune
Maj. Michael Mori said he had requested such an assessment because he became concerned about the mental state of alleged Taliban fighter David Hicks during a visit to Guantanamo Bay on Dec. 9-10.
"I was informed that the policy was that the defense counsel cannot bring down mental health experts anymore," Mori told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. Mori said he was given no explanation for the change.
Paul Mullen, a professor of forensic psychiatry from the Victoria state Forensic Mental Health Service, said he had visited Hicks at Guantanamo Bay for two days in February last year and was planning a return visit before he learned of the policy change last week. "Without independent mental health professionals coming in from outside, we have no real idea what sort of state of mind this man is in and how close he is to suicide," Mullen told the ABC. "It's an outrageous situation from a mental health perspective," he added.
Mullen said the 31-year-old Australian and his fellow prisoners did not trust the psychiatrists and psychologists available in Guantanamo Bay because those mental health experts had been involved in the interrogation processes. The defense lawyers also needed to know what Hicks' mental state was when he made statements to his interrogators and whether he was mentally fit to stand trial.
Mori said Hicks had been help in solitary confinement for the past nine months.
Hicks' father, Terry Hicks, said he had ongoing concerns about his son's mental state. Terry Hicks said he was scheduled on Wednesday to have a telephone conversation with his son, who he was told might refuse to talk because of "emotion stress." "I don't think anyone can cope with nine months in isolation," Terry Hicks told the ABC.
"David would have coped for a little while but then the isolation, no one to talk to, guards are not allowed to talk to him, he doesn't see anyone else — it must have some sort of strain on the mental side," he added.
Hicks was captured in Afghanistan by the Northern Alliance in December, 2001, and was sent a month later to the U.S. naval base on Cuba. He was charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit war crimes and aiding the enemy, and was selected to face a U.S. military tribunal. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were withdrawn and his case was thrown into limbo when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the military tribunals illegal in June.
Source: International Herald Tribune
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