Guantanamo Briton launches UK legal bid
Last remaining UK resident held at Guantanamo Bay launches bid for govt to release information proving he was tortured
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Monday, 28, Jul 2008 01:29
The last remaining British resident to be held at Guantanamo Bay is launching a legal bid for the UK government to release evidence proving he was tortured.
Binyam Mohamed's lawyers are in the high court for a two-day hearing to demand the government release a "wide range" of information.
They claim it proves the 30-year-old Ethiopian, from west London, was a victim of extraordinary rendition and torture at the hands of US authorities.
inthenews.co.uk understands that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has already released some information following a freedom of information request from Mr Mohamed's legal team.
Mr Mohamed has been held at Guantanamo in Cuba for the last six years. He has been charged with war crimes and could face the death penalty if convicted at a military tribunal.
Aid groups have expressed their concern over the health and wellbeing of Mr Mohamed.
According to Amnesty International he is in a "desperate state".
Sara Mac Neice, Amnesty International UK's Guantanamo campaigner, said it was imperative the government made the information available to Mr Mohamed's legal team.
"Binyam has already been held for over six years in the harsh conditions of Guantanamo Bay and, according to his lawyer, is suffering mental illness and desperately needs to be moved to a less oppressive part of the Guantanamo prison complex.
"Amnesty is calling on foreign secretary David Miliband to officially request that Binyam is moved within the camp at the earliest opportunity. After that, we need to see him returned to Britain and given a proper trial or released and for this whole travesty of justice to be ended."
The FCO told inthenews.co.uk foreign secretary David Miliband had personally asked his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice to arrange the release of Mr Mohamed.
A spokesman elaborated: "We continue to discuss Mr Mohamed's case with the US authorities and pursue our request for his release from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and return to the UK."
Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones at the high court will decide this week whether the FCO should be forced to release the sensitive information.