A court in Madrid has jailed former Al Jazeera journalist Tayssir Alouni for collaborating with a terrorist organisation. Alouni, who protests his innocence, interviewed Osama Bin Laden before the 11 September attacks. He was sentenced to seven years for acting as financial courier to Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network.
A Syrian-born Spanish citizen, Alouni was one of 24 defendants in Europe’s biggest trial of Islamic extremists which has ended in Spain. Alouni denied carrying money intended for al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan, saying in his testimony that he was only doing his job as a journalist. Until his arrest in 2003, he was among Al Jazeera’s most prominent and popular correspondents, fronting the network’s coverage of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Al Jazeera issued the following statement on 26 September:
“Al Jazeera Satellite Channel is surprised and deeply disappointed by the Spanish Courts decision to sentence one of its senior correspondents Tayseer Alouni to 7 years in prison. The Channel supports Mr. Alouni and his familys decision to appeal the Courts verdict and is in consultation with its legal team.
Meanwhile, the Channel will request the Spanish judiciary to release Mr. Alouni for health considerations on bail. Mr. Alouni has been suffering an ongoing heart condition for which he had been earlier released, prior to his sudden pre-sentencing re-arrest last week.
The Channel views the incident as a dangerous precedent for the profession of journalism and journalists across the world who go to great lengths on a daily basis to bring coverage on critical issues. Al Jazeera reiterates its support for Mr. Alouni and his professional integrity and courage as a journalist.”