Blair faces Guantanamo help call

Nine Britons are being held by the US military in Cuba

Tony Blair must take urgent action to end the "travesty of justice" for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, human rights campaigners have said.

Amnesty International UK has written to the prime minister ahead of Sunday's second anniversary of terror suspects arriving at the camp in Cuba.

The group's Kate Allen said: "Mr Blair must surely realise that Guantanamo is nothing short of a disgrace."

Mr Blair has said there could soon be news about the camp's UK prisoners.

Father's appeal

There are nine British detainees at Camp Delta - two of whom, Moazzam Begg and Feroz Abbasi, are currently considered high risk.

During a briefing for journalists in London by US ambassador at large for war crimes, Pierre-Richard Prosper, indicated the other seven Guantanamo Bay detainees could be repatriated.

Ms Allen said Amnesty wants legal representation and fair trials as the bottom line for all the 650-plus prisoners held at Guantanamo.

"With some of the Guantanamo prisoners about to enter their third year of captivity without access to lawyers, and without charge or trial, the need for urgent moves to end this travesty of justice could not be clearer," she added.

UK DETAINEES IN CAMP DELTA Shafiq Rasul, 24, of Tipton, West Midlands Asif Iqbal, 20, of Tipton Ruhal Ahmed, 20, of Tipton Martin Mubanga, 29, from north London Jamal Udeen, 35, from Manchester Richard Belmar, 23, from London Tarek Dergoul, 24, from east London Moazzam Begg, 35, from Birmingham Feroz Abbasi, 23, from south London At-a-glance: Britons held

Azmat Begg, the father of Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, said he hoped Mr Blair would act on Amnesty's calls.

"It shocks me that we are about to see the second anniversary of Guantanamo Bay and still I don't know what is going to happen to my son Moazzam or any of the hundreds of people being held out there," he said.

"I understand President Bush is very receptive to representations from Tony Blair on the fate of Britons in Guantanamo Bay."

Talks continue

Amnesty's letter says all the prisoners should either be charged with recognised criminal offences or set free.

And it opposes the idea of putting some of the suspects before military tribunals.

UK and US officials have been negotiating over the fate of the British prisoners for some time.

The Britons' case was raised by Mr Blair personally during November's state visit to Britain by US President George Bush.

The US authorities are thought to be worried that despite recent anti-terrorism legislation in the UK, the laws might not be strong enough if the British prisoners were repatriated.

'Information source'

Mr Blair has said that talks are continuing and he hoped that he would soon have information about the fate of the detainees.

The Labour MP for detainee Feroz Abbasi, Geraint Davies, said he was "very pleased" that seven of the detainees could be released by the US - although his constituent could be one of the exceptions.

The Croydon Central member told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that those who continued to be held had the right to a fair trial.

"I hope the other two [Mr Abbasi and Mr Begg] can face charges if there's evidence and be punished if they have done anything, or else be allowed to be set free, be it with surveillance," he said.

Authoritarian?

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell said: "Progress on this is obviously to be welcomed but any question of how any of the detainees are to be treated must depend upon the strict application of our own domestic law."

Lawyer Louise Christian, who represents Mr Abbasi's family, said the obstacle to the repatriation of the British detainees was not the US, but David Blunkett.

"Unfortunately we have a very authoritarian home secretary who thinks he should be able to lock up people without trial, as he has already done with 13 non-British nationals under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act.

"I think it is an exhibition of weakness that he is not prepared to accept this responsibility to bring them back to Britain."