Release of Chinese Muslims blocked by US court

Article published on the 2008-10-09 Latest update 2008-10-09 14:56 TU

An anti-Guantanamo protest in Washington
( Photo: AFP )

An appeals court in the US has temporarily blocked the release of 17 Chinese Muslim Uighurs from the Guantanamo prison camp, countering a judge's decision on Tuesday. The men were to be taken to Washington as soon as Friday, but a three-judge panel blocked the move after an appeal from the US government.

On Tuesday, a US federal judge ordered the group to be released in the US in a major blow to the US administration which claimed that the decision would mean that committed enemies of the country could be allowed to roam free inside it.

This was the first time a court had ordered that prisoners believed to be involved in the "war on terror" detained at the US base should be released on US soil.

Lawyers representing the 17 men say the government's motion to stay the release order could prolong their incarceration for months or years.

China today again urged the US to repatriate the group. It claims they are members of a violent separatist movement.