US court blocks release of 17 Guantanamo detainees
Thursday, 09 Oct 2008 09:10
A US court has blocked the release of 17 Chinese Muslims from Guantanamo Bay
A United States court has blocked the release of 17 Chinese Muslim detainees from Guantanamo Bay.
Earlier this week district judge Ricardo Urbina declared that the Uighurs could no longer be held at the Cuban detention centre as there was no evidence the men were a security risk.
However, a three-judge panel of the US courts of appeal on Wednesday granted the government more time to argue against the men's release.
The Bush administration had filed for a motion calling for an emergency stay, claiming that the decision to release the men "threatens serious harm to the interests of the United States and its citizens by mandating that the government release in the nation's capital 17 individuals who engaged in weapons training at a military training camp".
The decision by the appeals court has prevented the detainees' release for at least a week and a series of briefings have been scheduled to discuss the case.
"We are pleased that the court of appeals granted our request for a temporary stay, and we look forward to presenting our case," justice department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.
The 17 men were cleared for release in 2004 but the US government has maintained that they would face persecution if they returned to China.
The Bush administration claims that all the men engaged in weapons training at an Afghan military school.