Guantanamo the cost for a naive kid: Hicks

Five years spent in Guantanamo Bay was the cost David Hicks claims he paid for being a "naive kid" wanting to help others.

A week after the Guantanamo Military Commission overturned his terrorism conviction Mr Hicks says he has been physically damaged by his ordeal but can still hold his head high.

In a column published by Fairfax, Mr Hicks says he and his family faced a long and painful struggle to clear his name, but that was his ultimate aim.

"At the end of the day I wanted to help the men, women and children of Kashmir who were struggling to defend themselves," he said.

"I have always acknowledged that I didn't make the best choices as a young man, but I have paid a huge cost for wanting to help others and being a naive kid."

Mr Hicks was left unable to communicate with the outside world during his five and a half years in Guantanamo Bay, which he said resulted in people putting words in his mouth and skewing his story.

Despite answering the "tough questions" early and repeatedly, he says those same questions are still being asked and he now believes it's because those asking aren't interested in the answer.

Mr Hicks has written about the torture he endured in detention and the "so-called admissions" obtained as a result.

"Even now, after being cleared, I am still accused of `admitting to training with al-Qaeda' which is untrue," he said.

Others may be subject to similar treatment because of the careless and political treatment of his case, Mr Hicks fears, but he says exposing what happened so it doesn't happen again was the reason for his struggle for justice.