'American justice' for Britons

Moazzam Begg is a father-of-four

Two Britons among six al-Qaeda suspects will get the "best possible defence" if they face a military tribunal in Cuba, a US chief defence lawyer has said.

Moazzam Begg, 35, from Birmingham, and Feroz Abbasi, 23, from London, are on a list of suspects who could face the secret trials and be sentenced to death if convicted.

The two men have already been held for many months at the military base in Guantanamo Bay.

Colonel Will Gunn, the base's chief defence lawyer, said he had concerns about the possibility of a death penalty for any convicted but said he had "staff who were going to make use of all the resources to provide the very best possible defence".

He told BBC Two's Newsnight: "This country has long said we're about justice being done.

"That's what the principle of Americanism means to many people".

My son was never involved in al-Qaeda, he is a proper, family man

Moazzam Begg's father Azmat

Father's anguish

His comments came after the UK Government joined the men's families and human rights lawyers in voicing concern over the possibility of a fair trial.

But Colonel Gunn's reassurances about the suspects' fate only went so far.

He said he too had "concerns" about the legal process given the prospect of a death penalty.

"Any time we're talking about a death penalty case of course we're talking about the ultimate aspect of criminal justice and I'm very concerned with respect to that," he said.

Cultural barriers

Colonel Gunn warned there would be "cultural divides" to overcome in providing a defence and it would be a "challenge" given that defendants might not be told about certain evidence against them.

Concern about the fate of these men has already been expressed by Foreign Office Minister Baroness Symons.

She told the BBC it would have been preferable for the British citizens to face justice in the UK.

But she said the government would press America over access to lawyers, standards of evidence and appeals against a guilty verdict.

And it would fight any attempt to impose the death penalty.

'Insufficient evidence'

Human rights campaigners have also condemned plans for a military tribunal.

Stephen Jakobi, director of the British pressure group Fair Trials Abroad, said: "If they were prepared to take these people to American soil and try them under normal US prosecution, the evidence wouldn't stand up," he said.

Feroz Abbasi, is from Croydon, in London

And Mr Begg's father Azmat has also said he feared his son, a father-of-four, would not get a fair trial.

He said his son, who was arrested by the CIA in Pakistan in February 2002, is innocent.

Mr Abbasi was said to have been captured in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in late 2001.

Pentagon officials say all six suspects are believed to be either members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network or have other terrorist involvement such as training or fund-raising.

The US authorities will now consider whether to draft charges against any or all of the six, and decide whether they will be tried.

There are seven other Britons in Guantanamo Bay, according to the Foreign Office:
• Shafiq Rasul, 24, of Tipton, West Midlands
  
• Asif Iqbal, 20, also of Tipton
  
• Ruhal Ahmed, 20, also of Tipton
  
• Martin Mubanga, 29, from north London
  
• Jamal Udeen, 35, from Manchester
  
• Richard Belmar, 23, from London
  
• Tarek Dergoul, 24, from east London.