It is a long way from the events of September 11th 2001 to David Hicks cell in Guantanamo Bay in 2007. In 'Detainee 002', Leigh Sales tells the story of how an awkward young man from Adelaide ended up a pawn in the War on Terror, and came to be in indefinite detention in the notorious Cuban prison.
'Detainee 002' reveals unprecedented detail about why David Hicks was one of the first prisoners chosen for trial, the conditions of his imprisonment, especially in solitary confinement, and how an inexperienced marine, Major Michael Mori, took on the President of the United States on the Australian's behalf.
Sales explains the intricacies of Hicks case, the behind-the-scene workings of the military commissions set up at Guantanamo Bay, and asks whether the means in the War on Terror have justified the ends.
For Sales, Hicks case is emblematic of some of the greatest challenges facing the world today: the rise of Islamic extremism, terrorism, the increasing power of non-state actors and the accountability of governments towards their citizens. In a war with no rules, ever-changing parameters and no end in sight, who determines the limits?
