Guantanamo prisoner gets lawyer

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Pentagon has assigned a defense attorney to the first of six prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base detention center who are expected to face a special military trial.

Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen will be represented by Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift if his case goes to trial. None of the six have yet been officially charged. However, the military tribunal rules require that a defense counsel be appointed sufficiently in advance to prepare an adequate defense.

In November the U.S. government reached an agreement with Australia over another detainee, David Hicks, 27, who was captured in Afghanistan two years ago. The U.S. military promised Hicks would not be eligible for the death penalty and would serve out his sentence in Australia if he faces a military tribunal and is found guilty.

The commissions are intended for non-U.S. citizens believed to be members of al-Qaida or other militant organizations and believed to be guilty of any one of nearly 30 crimes, from using human shields on the battlefield, to torture and murder. The commissions could also apply to people alleged to have harbored terrorists.

The commissions, first announced in November 2001, have come under sharp criticism from human rights and legal organizations, which have argued variously that they are unconstitutional, illegal under international law and a dangerous precedent for U.S. troops who might be captured and tried in similar forums in other countries.