LONDON, March 7 (AFP) -- The mother of a Briton detained at a US naval base in Cuba set up for alleged Taliban and al-Qa'ida fighters has launched High Court proceedings aimed at forcing Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to arrange legal access for her 22-year-old son. Lawyers for Zumrati Juma, mother of Feroz Abassi, on Wednesday [6 March] added that they would press the British government to take action to shut down the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where 300 prisoners, including five Britons, are being held. "We are also seeking an order that the Foreign Secretary should make a protest to the Americans about the circumstances of these unlawful detentions," lawyer Louise Christian said. "And we are seeking a declaration that the British government demands that Abbasi should not face trial in a military tribunal with the death penalty." Washington has refused to grant "prisoner of war" status to any of the detainees, captured in Afghanistan during the war on terror, claiming they are "unlawful combatants". The Red Cross among other international organisations has criticised the United States, saying all prisoners should be protected under international law until a tribunal decides their fate. The legal application brought Wednesday could see the British government face charges under the Human Rights Act 1998 of "aiding and abetting" the United States in unlawfully detaining the men against United Nations guidelines.