A US federal judge has ruled that terror

suspects held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba must be allowed to meet lawyers.

The

ruling also forbids the US government from monitoring their conversations.

In a strongly worded rebuke of the Bush administration, US District Judge

Colleen Kollar-Kotelly rejected the administration's argument that the detainees

were not entitled to lawyers, CCTV reported Thursday.

She also denied the government's request to monitor the meetings and review

attorney's notes, saying that would infringe on the detainee's attorney-client

privilege.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the then-600 foreign-born men held in

the Navy-run prison camp at Guantanamo Bay could challenge their captivity in

American courts.

Several cases have since been filed in federal court. The

suspects have been held for nearly three years, since the September 11 attacks,

without being charged with any crime.

Source: CCTV.com