|
|
|
Fresh hope for Guantanamo Britons The first of the nine British terror suspects held in Guantanamo Bay could be home within weeks. According to the US ambassador at large for war crimes, Washington has softened its demand that they face prosecution or indefinite detention in the UK. Pierre-Richard Prosper said the detainees could be repatriated if the UK "managed" them. He said that could mean detention or prosecution, but the US may reportedly accept constant surveillance by police. However, neither the UK Foreign Office nor the US State Department has so far clarified Mr Prosper's remarks. The suggestion of possible repatriation came as human rights campaigners urged Tony Blair to end the "travesty of justice" for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Amnesty International UK wrote to the prime minister ahead of Sunday's second anniversary of terror suspects arriving at the camp in Cuba, saying it was "nothing short of a disgrace".
Azmat Begg, the father of Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, said he hoped Mr Blair would act on Amnesty's calls. "It shocks me that we are about to see the second anniversary of Guantanamo Bay and still I don't know what is going to happen to my son Moazzam or any of the hundreds of people being held out there," he said. "I understand President Bush is very receptive to representations from Tony Blair on the fate of Britons in Guantanamo Bay." 'Dangerous people' Mr Prosper has indicated the US would expect returnees to be held long enough for an investigation to take place. UK newspaper reports quoted him saying they were "dangerous people engaged in dangerous activity". He reportedly said: "There can't be a situation where a dangerous person is released and [flies] an aeroplane into the next tall building around the world. That concern remains." Mr Prosper said Washington was not looking for guaranteed convictions, but "we are asking that they be detained and investigated and/ or prosecuted". However, he added that it was not a "blanket request", and the US is reportedly ready to accept surveillance by British police as an alternative. The detainees include those arrested in Afghanistan during the war and others suspected of links with the former Taleban regime or Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network. 'Best outcome' George Bush last year named two of them - Feroz Abbasi, of Croydon, and Moazzem Begg, of Birmingham - as candidates for trial by a military tribunal. It is absurd to say these people would pose a terrorist
risk Lawyer for three UK detainees But Mr Prosper reportedly hinted that any repatriation deal would ideally cover all nine Britons, and said the US president "has an open mind and has been talking to the prime minister about the cases overall, as to what the best outcome, the best solution can be". The 600 suspects, from 40 countries, had been divided into three groups - those posing a high risk who must be prosecuted and/ or detained, those posing a medium risk who can be repatriated, and those posing little or no threat, he added. Louise Christian, the solicitor acting for families of three of the detainees, reportedly welcomed Mr Prosper's comments and urged the government to give Washington the assurances it required. "It is absurd to say these people would pose a terrorist risk," she told the Times newspaper. UK DETAINEES IN CAMP DELTA
|
Campaign Against Criminalising Communities