Scandal of Luton Muslims locked away without trial
Even animals have more rights, say families
The fate of two Luton men locked up for more than two years without charge has revealed Britain's own Guantanamo Bay.
As five British men were flown home from America's terrorist camp this week, Home Secretary David Blunkett criticised the USA's handling of terror suspects at the Cuban compound.
But the Luton Muslims have been jailed in this country since December 2001 with no charge or evidence brought against them. The family men, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, are detained indefinitely, in high-security Woodhill prison, with no recourse to the fundamental principle of British justice – innocent until proven guilty.
They are two of 14 foreign nationals held in British jails, under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act, introduced after the September 11 attacks to allow the Government to intern foreigners without trial.
One of the Luton men is denied the right to see his two-year-old son, born after he was jailed, and both sets of families said they are suffering from 'extreme mental anguish and depression'.
In a statement the families say: "We are devastated and helpless and losing hope by the day that we will ever see our loved ones.
"Even animals have more rights to care and concern than the interned, and even those who commit the most heinous crimes are given access to fair trial and jury."
The men were arrested in dawn raids on their homes, on December 19, 2001, and are held in high security prisons, isolated for up to 22 hours per day and in conditions described by medical experts as 'barbaric'.
Supporters of the men have called for the government to bring them to trial or present evidence to their legal representatives.
Campaigning for their release, Majid Lateef, of Luton, said: "Neither of the men has travelled to Pakistan or Afghanistan and they aren't linked to any terrorist organisation."
A Special Immigration Appeals Commission ruled this week that one of the 14 should be released, as evidence supplied by the Home Office to justify his imprisonment was 'misleading'.
But on the same day David Blunkett criticised Guantanamo Bay, the government sought an emergency injunction to keep the man in Belmarsh Prison.
The Luton men's families said: "The men have children and families who are being deprived of their rights to family life. They don't know why their husbands and fathers have been taken away and when, or if, they will be reunited."
The 14 men's imprisonment has come under fire from religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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