Vigil for detainees at Guantanamo

Lawyers say Mr al-Rawi is having a mental breakdown

A candlelit vigil is to take place for UK residents held at the US detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of its opening.

Relatives and friends of detainees will gather outside Downing Street to try to put pressure on the government to secure the men's return home.

Organiser and Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather said it was "outrageous" that the government was not doing more.

The government said it was not obliged to try to bring home foreign nationals.

'Long-term disabilities'

Currently there are eight British residents with leave to return being held at the camp in Cuba, which has come under fire from human rights groups.

Among them are Iraqi businessman Bisher al-Rawi and his friend, Jordanian Jamil el-Banna, who both lived in London before they were detained.

They have been held without trial in Guantanamo Bay since 2003 on suspicion of having links to terrorism.

He very much wants to be with his family and has always maintained his innocence Zachary Katznelson, Detainees' lawyer

Their lawyer, Zachary Katznelson, visited them in November 2006.

He told BBC News that Mr el-Banna was not receiving an appropriate diet for diabetes, which was causing extreme leg pains and a deterioration in his eyesight.

"He very much wants to be with his family and has always maintained his innocence."

Mr el-Banna has five British children, the youngest of whom he has never met.

Mr el-Banna has never met his youngest child

Mr al-Rawi has been in isolation since March last year and is having a mental breakdown, says Mr Katznelson, of UK charity Reprieve.

In his cell, there is a thin sleeping mat, toilet, sink and a Koran to read. Lights are left on all day and night and he is rarely allowed outdoors, the lawyer added.

Both men's MPs are fighting to secure their release.

Liberal Democrat MP Edward Davey asked Prime Minister Tony Blair on 8 January to make a personal plea to US President George W Bush to secure Mr al-Rawi's release.

The Foreign Office said it was in continuing talks with the US over his release and the decision was in the hands of US officials.

However, it said that following a court ruling last July, it was under no obligation to act on behalf of his fellow foreign nationals being held.

'Grieving heart'

Sarah Teather, Lib Dem MP for Brent East, said it was "outrageous" that the government "would not lift a finger" to help her constituent.

"Each day that Jamil el-Banna spends in illegal imprisonment brings more pain for his family," she said.

Also joining the vigil will be Amani Deghayes, whose Libyan-born brother Omar, 37, from Brighton, has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002.

His supporters claim he has been left virtually blind due to abuse suffered at the camp.

His mother Zohra Zewawi said she had travelled to Cuba for the five-year anniversary protest because her heart was "overflowing with grief".