Fiji: hearing over Speight trial

Lawyers in Fiji acting on behalf of the coup leader, George Speight, have asked magistrates to drop the treason charges against him and sixteen of his followers.

During a brief hearing in the capital, Suva, the lawyers argued that the defendants were protected by an immunity deal Mr Speight had signed with the army.

The deal was part of an agreement which brought the country's long-running constitutional crisis to an end last month.

The military authorities have argued that Mr Speight violated the terms of the agreement by refusing to hand back all the weapons used when he stormed parliament in May and deposed the democratically-elected government. All the accused were remanded in custody and the case was adjourned for ten days pending a decision on whether a treason trial can go ahead.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service