June 12 (Bloomberg) -- An Ontario judge banned the publication of details arising from court hearings in the prosecution of 17 men accused of plotting a terror campaign in Canada, lawyers in the case said.

Justice of the Peace Keith Currie granted the prosecution request today over the objections by defense lawyers who said the government is seeking the ban only after disclosing details of the charges to the media since the June 2 arrests.

``I want the public to know the accusations made against my client,'' Rocco Galati, who represents Ahmed Mustafa Ghany, 21 of Mississauga, said at a news conference outside the Brampton, Ontario courthouse. ``So far the public has seen only what the police have wanted them to see.''

The 17 men, all Canadian citizens, are charged with planning to blow up Ontario landmarks, with at least one of them accused of planning to storm Canada's Parliament in Ottawa and behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper. They were arrested after police said they agreed to buy three tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that when combined with fuel can be used as a bomb, from an undercover agent.

Fourteen of the defendants, five of whom are under the age of 18 and can't be identified under Canadian law, were in court today to set dates for their bail hearings. They haven't entered pleas to the charges.

Canadian judges have the option of imposing a publication ban if the prosecutor requests it, but are obligated to do so if the defense seeks such an order. Defense lawyer Galati said he plans to ask a judge at a June 26 hearing to televise his client's bail hearing.

Also today, Currie rejected defense arguments that the treatment of their clients in prison amounted to torture.

All 17 men are kept in isolation and only allowed 20 minutes of exercise a day, David Kolinsky, lawyer for Zakaria Amara, 20, told reporters. Their cells are illuminated 24 hours a day, and defendants are awakened every half hour, he said.

Currie said he has no jurisdiction over the country's prisons and can't dictate the terms of detention.

To contact the reporter on this story: Joe Schneider in Toronto at jschneider5@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 12, 2006 16:56 EDT