Drive for justice for Delta detainees

A worried parent urges the government to support his son

Supporters of Guantanamo Bay prisoners are increasing pressure on the British Government to ensure fair trials.

Campaigners - including MPs and parents of the British detainees - met in London on Tuesday to draw attention to their cause.

Azmat Begg, father of Moazzam Begg - one of nine British citizens held at the US base - described how his son had been arrested in Afghanistan and kept, "like an animal in a cage, deprived of food, sunlight and proper clothing."

Kevin McNamara MP, who hosted the meeting, said: "We went to fight in Afghanistan to uphold the rule of law and human rights. Prisoners were taken and those prisoners are being denied basic human rights."

Stephen Jakobi, of the group Fair Trials Abroad, told the meeting that when he called the Attorney General¿s office he was informed they were in the process of discussing diary dates with US Government lawyers.

He said: "This urgent, horrific problem has been boiled down by the British Government to 'let's do lunch'."

Parliamentary petition

Two hundred and fifty-nine MPs of all parties, have now signed an Early Day Motion calling for the repatriation of British detainees to face a fair trial in Britain.

The Commons petition has been co-ordinated by Geraint Davies, the MP of Croydon man Feroz Abbasi, who is also detained in Guantanamo.

Mr Davies is also planning to raise the subject at the Labour Party Conference.

The fate of the detainees will be discussed at the European Parliament on 30 September, where the families and lawyers for all the European Guantanamo detainees - including six French, one Spaniard, one Dane and one Swede - will meet with MEPs.

Watch highlights from the meeting in BBC Parliament¿s Briefings, Saturday 2200 BST.