Amnesty Guantanamo action

In this free seminar, a panel of experts will reflect upon steps recently taken in the US Congress to amend the Military Commissions Act 2006 and otherwise prepare for the January 2010 deadline imposed by the Obama administration for closure of Guantanamo Bay. What exactly is likely to change as a result of this process? What parts of the Bush administration’s legacy on counter-terrorism are likely to remain intact? What ramifications has the Obama administration’s policy redirection had so far for Australia? What impact might the Obama administration yet have in influencing the course of global policy-making on counter-terrorism and the treatment of detainees? More specifically, what could be the effect of US legislative change on the life and legal status of David Hicks, an Australian citizen who continues to live under conditions imposed as a consequence of his conviction under the Military Commissions Act? These, among other questions, will be taken up in the course of what promises to be a lively and provocative discussion.

Speakers include:

• Kate Eastman

  • Kate is a barrister who has worked for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission; a part-time law lecturer on international human rights law, civil liberties law and human rights advocacy; and has been actively involved in a number of human rights and international law organisations. She has been involved with the David Hicks case since 2006.

• Geoffrey Garrett

  • Dr Geoffrey Garrett is founding CEO of the United States Studies Centre and Professor of Political Science at the University of Sydney. Garrett is a frequent commentator on all aspects of US politics, economics and foreign policy in Australian media. He is also the author of author of ‘Partisan Politics in the Global Economy’, editor of ‘The Global Diffusion of Markets and Democracy’ and has written numerous articles for social science journals.

• Katie Wood

  • Katie is the Governance Coordinator at Amnesty International Australia and was formerly the Campaign Coordinator for Counter Terror with Justice Campaign. Internationally, this campaign focuses on the undermining of human rights and the rule of law in governments’ responses to the so called ‘war on terror’. Prior to this, Katie worked as a solicitor for several years, predominantly in the area of commercial litigation. Katie holds a BA LLB and a Masters of International Law.

Please register through the event website.

Please direct enquiries to the SCIL administrator, Sadhana Abayasekara: law.scil@usyd.edu.au.

This seminar is co-sponsored by the Sydney Centre for International Law and Amnesty International Australia.