Defence lawyers for five Americans held for alleged militant links stepped up calls on Tuesday for their clients to be freed on bail, saying the evidence against them was "vague". The five US citizens were produced in an anti-terrorism court in Sargodha, where they were arrested in December 2009 on suspicion of trying to contact al Qaeda-linked militant groups and plot attacks.
Officials said the court will rule on Wednesday whether to grant bail to the young men, who have been held without charge since their arrest and have complained of torture and other mistreatment while in custody. "The allegations against them are vague. There is no substantial evidence available to show their guilt. I am sure they will be bailed out tomorrow," defence lawyer Mohammad Shahid Kamal Khan told reporters outside the court.
"It is a violation of the legal and fundamental rights to keep them in confinement." Public prosecutor Nadeem Akram Cheema argued that a presidential decree stated that any suspect facing charges which carry more than 10 years in prison should not be granted bail. "There are very limited chances for the bail of the accused," he told AFP. The list of charges would likely be formally presented at the next hearing on March 2, he said.
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