NEW YORK, March 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. human rights group Monday called for an Australian terror suspect's trial to be moved to a U.S. federal court.
"The trial of David Hicks, the 31-year-old Australian charged with providing material support for terrorism, should be moved to U.S. federal court," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
Hicks Monday became "the first person formally charged in the new military commissions authorized by Congress last September," HRW said.
HRW noted that "under the system of military commissions previously established by President George W. Bush, Hicks ... is charged with a single count of providing material support for terrorism -- an offense that does not violate the laws of war and that should be tried in federal court."
"The Department of Justice has successfully prosecuted dozens of cases of material support for terrorism since 9/11," said Jennifer Daskal, U.S. advocate for Human Rights Watch. "Federal court, not fundamentally flawed military commissions, is where Hicks belongs."
The human rights group expressed concern about "commission rules that allow the use of evidence obtained through abusive interrogation techniques prior to January 2006."
Human Rights Watch also noted that Hicks "has alleged that he was sodomized, beaten, and subject to forced injections while in U.S. custody."
"Absent a change in policy, Hicks' trial may be best remembered most for the administration's use of coerced evidence and its continued attempt to prevent allegations of abuse from coming to light," said Daskal.
"It seems that the administration would rather open itself up to a whole new round of legal challenges than provide Hicks an open and fair hearing in federal court," she said.
