JURIST - Paper Chase: UK court refuses further appeals in Hicks citizenship case

[JURIST] Lawyers for Australian terror suspect David Hicks [JURIST news archive; advocacy website] said Saturday that Britain's Court of Appeals will not allow further appeals from the British government in Hicks' attempt to obtain UK citizenship. Hicks, currently detained at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] and facing military commission proceedings, is seeking British citizenship in hopes that the UK government will then secure his release from Guantanamo. Hicks' mother is a British citizen, entitling Hicks to citizenship under UK law, but the UK Home Office has so far delayed a decision Hicks' application due to public policy concerns [JURIST report]. The Home Office had sought leave to appeal [ABC Australia report] the April 12 UK Court of Appeal decision [JURIST report] holding that Hicks should be granted British citizenship. The Sydney Morning Herald has more.

In related news, Brian Martin [official profile], chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in Australia, on Friday questioned the conditions of Hicks' four-year detention by US authorities at Guantanamo. Setting aside questions of Hicks' guilt or innocence, Martin suggested the conditions of the facility in which Hicks has been detained were "excessive" and questioned the length of his detention without being brought to trial. AAP has more.

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