New Caldari - A State appeals court yesterday backed the Provist's power to indefinitely detain a citizen captured on State soil without any criminal charges being laid. The ruling came at the hearing of 6 men arrested last week, who officials said were involved in a plot to lure Caldari citizens into space where they were to be offered to Sansha's Nation.

A host of civil liberties groups weighed in on the accused men's behalf, calling on the State to supply evidence and charges. The presiding judge disagreed, though, stating that such authority is vital during this time to protect the State from Sansha incursions. The men, four Gallente and two Caldari, will continue to be held without charges.

Rikko Sattonnen, chief counsel for the Caldari Legal Foundation, said the ruling "gave the Provists the needed flexibility in dealing with war criminals. You can't treat them as though they are just another criminal defendant." Adivaan Kouver, senior associate at Citizen's Rights First, said the ruling "could lead to the Provists being allowed to hold anyone who, for example, accessed what they consider the wrong kind of reading from a database."

Laak Katomi, a Provist Spokesman, gave no evidence and few details, saying only: "All of the State's security agencies are actively working to protect the Caldari people from the Sansha threat."