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US court backs Guantanamo inmate | US court backs Guantanamo inmate |
(about 10 hours later) | |
A US court has for the first time rejected the classification of a prisoner held in Guantanamo Bay as an "enemy combatant". | A US court has for the first time rejected the classification of a prisoner held in Guantanamo Bay as an "enemy combatant". |
Huzaifa Parhat, a Chinese Muslim, has been held since he was captured in Afghanistan in 2001. | Huzaifa Parhat, a Chinese Muslim, has been held since he was captured in Afghanistan in 2001. |
He is now free to seek immediate release in a US district court. | He is now free to seek immediate release in a US district court. |
Earlier this month, a US Supreme Court ruling gave foreign Guantanamo Bay detainees the right to challenge their detention in civilian courts. | |
Mr Parhat is an ethnic Uighur from Xinjiang province in China, where it meets Central Asia. | Mr Parhat is an ethnic Uighur from Xinjiang province in China, where it meets Central Asia. |
The US government argued he was a member of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, which it said had links to al-Qaeda. | The US government argued he was a member of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, which it said had links to al-Qaeda. |
But Mr Parhat's lawyers said China and not the United States was his enemy. | But Mr Parhat's lawyers said China and not the United States was his enemy. |
Uighur activists are seeking autonomy from China, and there are sporadic outbreaks of violence in the province. | Uighur activists are seeking autonomy from China, and there are sporadic outbreaks of violence in the province. |
Headache for US | Headache for US |
The three-judge panel directed the US military to release Mr Parhat, transfer him or promptly set up a new military tribunal to try him. | The three-judge panel directed the US military to release Mr Parhat, transfer him or promptly set up a new military tribunal to try him. |
The court also specified that Mr Parhat could petition a federal judge for his immediate release in light of the Supreme Court's 12 June decision. | The court also specified that Mr Parhat could petition a federal judge for his immediate release in light of the Supreme Court's 12 June decision. |
Mr Parhat is one of several Uighurs being held at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. | Mr Parhat is one of several Uighurs being held at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. |
Their case has become a diplomatic and legal headache for the US, which has tried to find a country willing to accept the Uighurs at the same time as defending its decision to hold them as enemy combatants. | Their case has become a diplomatic and legal headache for the US, which has tried to find a country willing to accept the Uighurs at the same time as defending its decision to hold them as enemy combatants. |