LOC13:02
10:02 GMT
LONDON, Oct 19 (KUNA) -- Cleric Abu Hamza was continuing his legal fight to
hang on to his British passport Tuesday, his lawyer said here.
UK Home Secretary Theresa May wants to strip the radical cleric of his UK
citizenship.
However, Hamza has appealed to a special tribunal to overturn the decision
and Tuesday's preliminary hearing is expected to focus on whether he has joint
UK and Egyptian citizenship.
The 52-year-old is currently in jail as he challenges attempts to extradite
him to the United States on terror charges.
That case was delayed by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg
in July, which called for further submissions over the length of his sentence
and the conditions he would experience if extradited to ADX Florence, a
so-called "Supermax" prison in Fremont County, Colorado.
Hamza's lawyer, Amanda Weston, told a hearing of the Special Immigration
Appeals Commission (Siac) last January that her client wanted the citizenship
case heard while he was still in the UK and "able to participate in
proceedings."
However, James Strachan, for the Home Office, said the case should be put
off until after the Strasbourg ruling.
Hamza came here from north Africa in the early 1980s on a student visa and
acquired a British passport through marriage.
He was jailed for seven years in February 2006 for inciting murder and race
hate.
Attempts to take his passport away were launched in 2003, but were delayed
by other legal actions against him.
Revoking his citizenship might allow the authorities to deport Hamza if his
court fight against extradition is successful.
Tuesday's hearing in central London is expected to take three days, the
lawyer added. (end)
he.ris
KUNA 191302 Oct 10NNNN