Mamdouh Habib - Guantanamo Bay Inmate

Mamdouh Habib is an Egyptian born Australian Muslim best known for his detention in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The United States accused Habib of having had knowledge of September 11 2001 attacks, training the hijackers, staying at an al-Aaeda safehouse in Afghanistan, conducting surveillance, helping to transfer chemical weapons, and planning to hijack the aircraft used in the 9/11 attacks. However, there was no evidence to support these claims and he was eventually released.

In August 2010 Habib's application for an Australian passport was refused by the Department of Foreign Affairs after an adverse security assessment from ASIO. The application was denied and Mr Habib had to pay the government's costs.

When Mr Habib sued the Daily Telegraph for defamation and ruining his reputation, Justice Peter McClellan awarded him $5000. But he added that although he was defamed, his reputation wasn't affected because he was caught out in a lie - he lied to the court and said that he did not support the radical Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman when in fact he did. The judge said "the plaintiff was prepared to tell an untruth to the Australian people in relation to his support for a terrorist, which significantly diminishes his reputation." Nice one judge.

But he won't give up - he's suing the Australian Government in the Federal Court and yesterday his lawyer told him there was good news from Britain. The UK government is preparing to pay out millions of dollars to a handfull of former Guantanamo detainees who have accused their government of unlawful imprisonment and torture.

Habib's lawyer said "It must be good for him psychologically to know that prisoners in a similar position to him, have been settled for what appears to be a substantial amount of money".