TV crew stay in jail

They were accused of tainting President Taylor's image

Four foreign television journalists spent an extra night in jail on Tuesday after the judge hearing their case put off a decision on whether to grant bail.

Judge Timothy Swope is expected to rule on the issue on Wednesday.

No one who comes here and commits crime will go free because he is a citizen of a big power

President Taylor

Lawyers for the two Britons, Sierra Leonean and South African detained - crew for a documentary for Britain's Channel Four network - have protested at their limited access to their clients.

David Barrie: One of the four men arrested on Friday

Their arrests sparked angry protests from the international community and press freedom groups.

The UK Government has warned Liberia's President Charles Taylor that he risks international isolation over the issue.

"They are not spies, they are journalists, and this is an attack on international press freedom," Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain told the BBC.

'Speedy' trial

The crew were formally charged on Monday, three days after their arrest.

Mr Mandela held phone conversation with President Taylor

If convicted, the men face up to 10 years in jail or the death penalty - the maximum sentence for espionage.

President Taylor has promised a speedy and transparent trial, but insisted they must face trial before clemency could be considered.

"No one who comes here and commits crime will go free because he is a citizen of a big power," he said.

International appeal

The US special envoy to Africa, Rev Jesse Jackson, Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo and Malian President Alpha Omar Konare have appealed for the mens' release.

Sorious Samoura: Producer of the documentary Cry Freetown

South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela urged President Taylor to set the men free in a telephone conversation, his spokeswoman Zelda la Grange said.

She said Mr Mandela told the Liberian leader that "even if he had a water-tight case against the crew, it would be a wonderful gesture if he could pardon and release them".

In response, Taylor said there was "clear evidence in the case" but that he would respond to Mr Mandela after a day or two.

'Sensitive areas'

Liberia has accused the men of filming in no-go areas, seeking to damage the country's image and falsely linking President Taylor to diamond smuggling.

Channel 4 insists the four men were involved in legitimate journalistic activities.

The men facing charges are:

• David Barrie (UK)
• Timothy Lambon (UK)
• Gugulakhe Radebe (South Africa)
• Sorious Samoura (Sierra Leone).

Mr Samoura is the producer of the acclaimed documentary, Cry Freetown.

Mr Taylor is accused of supporting the RUF

Channel Four's programme director Tim Gardam told the BBC that the crew were working on a three-part series on how an African country can "climb out of the cycle of civil violence".

"The film was discussed in detail with the Liberian authorities before we went. We had already interviewed the Minister of Defence," he said.

In recent weeks, Liberia has repeatedly denounced what it says are international plots against Mr Taylor.

Both Washington and London accuse the Liberia of involvement in sales of diamonds mined by Sierra Leonean rebels.

Mr Taylor, a former warlord in Liberia's civil war, has long had links with the rebels.