13/12/2005

Austalian held in Guantanamo wins UK case

A detainee being held in Guantanamo Bay has won a legal bid to gain UK citizenship.

David Hicks, 30, an Australian whose mother was born in the UK, is being held in the US-run detention camp facing charges relating to fighting for militant groups in Afghanistan.

Mr Hicks' legal team had argued that the failure to register him as a UK citizen was an unlawful use of the Home Secretary's powers.

At the High Court a judge ruled that there was no law that could prevent the claimant from being granted UK citizenship.

A Muslim convert from Adelaide, South Australia, Mr Hicks has been held in Guantanamo Bay for three years facing charges of conspiracy to commit war crimes brought by US authorities.

The legal move is understood to relate to a pact with the US that allows detainees held at Guantanamo Bay to be released into British custody.

Mr Justice Collins at the High Court granted leave for the Home Secretary to lodge an appeal against the decision.

Mr Hicks' family hope that he will now be given the opportunity to complete the citizenship process.

(SP/KMcA)

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