‘Aussie Taliban’ David Hicks vows to fight Guantanamo terror conviction

David Hicks, once dubbed the “Aussie Taliban” after being captured in Afghanistan and spending more than five years at Guantanamo Bay, vowed to clear his name on Wednesday after filing an appeal against his conviction.

Hicks agreed to a plea deal in 2007 that saw him return to Australia to serve out a nine-month sentence for providing material support for terrorism, but says it was made under duress after five-and-a-half years in the US military-run prison.

On Tuesday his lawyers filed an appeal in the United States seeking to overturn the conviction following a court ruling last year in a separate terror-related case which held that the charge Hicks was convicted of was not a war crime.

Hicks, now 38 and living in Sydney where he works as a panel-beater, said the move was “all about recognising my conviction should be null and void”.

“The purpose of this action is to obtain formal recognition of my innocence so that the wrongs of the past committed against me can be righted, to put it all behind me and move on with my life,” he told reporters.

“It is important to myself and to my family and those who were supporting me and had faith in me over the years. It will help with closure and moving forward for sure.”