Hicks won’t violate gag order: lawyer News
Hicks won’t violate gag order: lawyer

[JURIST] Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] will not speak to the media in violation of a court order, Hicks' lawyer said Wednesday. Despite statements by Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock [official profile] that Australia cannot enforce the gag order [JURIST report] once Hicks returns to the country, Hicks' lawyer told Australia's ABC News that Hicks is not interested in speaking to the media. According to his lawyer, Hicks "is focused on getting home…[to] be close to his family."

Hicks submitted an application Monday to be transferred to a prison near his home in South Australia to serve the remainder of his nine-month sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of supporting terrorism [JURIST reports] last week. The Australian government is awaiting formal documentation from US authorities to move Hicks from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. Once this information is received, the Australian federal government can approach the state government in South Australia to move the process forward, including assessing security requirements and a potential control order [JURIST report]. Australia's ABC News has more.