Washington: A US federal judge ordered a group of 17 Chinese Uighurs held at the Guantanamo Bay military jail in Cuba to be released onto American soil, officials said.

It was the first time a court had ordered that "war on terror" prisoners detained at the US base should be released onto US soil, and the government of President George W Bush swiftly said it planned to appeal the decision.

The 17 Muslim Uighurs were officially declared no longer "enemy combatants" by the government earlier this year, but officials had maintained they could continue to hold the men at Guantanamo Bay if no other country accepted them.

China has urged the US to repatriate the "terrorist suspects," but Washington has resisted fearing the group would be tortured upon return.

Yesterday's decision was hailed by rights groups as another blow to the US authorities and its handling of "war on terror" suspects.

"The situation facing the Uighurs is a stark reminder of the legal and moral quagmire of Guantanamo," said Jameel Jaffer, director of the American Civil Liberties Union s National Security Project.

Human Rights Watch also welcomed the "landmark decision" and said as many as six of the men were still imprisoned in solitary confinement.

"Once again, a federal court rejected the Bush administration's theory that its own determination can trump judicial review and constitutional rights" said Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch.

But the Justice Department said it was planning to appeal the decision, saying it presented "serious national security and separation of powers concerns and raises unprecedented legal issues.
Source : PTI