US court blocks release of Guantanamo force-feeding video

The release of a video showing a Guantanamo detainee being force-fed by guards has been blocked by a US federal appeals court with judges saying its public screening could harm "national security".

Syrian-born Jihad Diyab, a prisoner on a hunger strike at Guantanamo, was filmed by the US army being force fed for a "training video".

Several media organisations have campaigned to release the video saying it was in the public's interest.

A three-judge court ruled that the public interest was trumped by the government's need to "guard national security" at the camp, where a number of high-profile terror suspects are still being detained. 

The judges reversed a lower federal court ruling that gave media companies the green light to media companies to release the footage.

Washington, however, warned it could threaten national security and took the case to the appeals court.

Diyab has since been moved to Uruguay in December 2014 as part of then-president Barack Obama's efforts - ultimately unsuccessful - to close the US-owned detention camp on Cuba.

He has held hunger strikes in Uruguay demanding that he allowed to leave for an Arab country and be reunited with his family.

Agencies contributed to this story.