Trial of David Hicks 'a charade'

In a report on the issue, the council drew a parallel with the case of detained Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef.

Both cases had an "Alice in Wonderland quality" to them, Law Council President Tim Bugg said.

David Hicks was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001 and spent more than five years in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

At a military tribunal earlier this year he admitted supporting terrorism and, under a plea deal agreed with prosecutors, was jailed for seven years.

All but nine months of the sentence were suspended and he has now been returned to Australia.

Prime Minister John Howard's government had faced mounting public criticism over its failure to secure his release.

'Veneer of due process'

According to the report prepared by lawyer Lex Lasry, aspects of Hicks' plea agreement appeared "an attempt to protect the credibility and interests of the US government".

The deal also meant that his tribunal became "a contrived affair played out for the benefit of the media and the public".