Taysir Allouny
Free Aljazeera Reporter, Taysir Alouni
Islamic Human Rights CommissionCall for the immediate release of Aljazeera reporter, Taysir Alouni, who has been imprisoned for the last 3 months in Spain on charges of membership of the Al-Qaeda “terror network”.
1. Background
2. Suggested Action
Background:
Taysir Alouni is a reporter for AlJazeera who is currently in prison in Spain on charges of membership of a “terrorist organisation”. Alouni, a Syrian-born Spaniard, was arrested in September 2003 in his home in Granada, but 5 weeks later was released on bail, after the court heard his health was suffering. He was rearrested in November 2004 and has been in custody without bail ever since.
Alouni has repeatedly denied allegations that he has any connection to al-Qaida and that he took part in operations of financing al-Qaida and in recruiting activists. The allegations stem primarily from an interview conducted by Alouni with Usama bin Laden in October 2001, during which the latter called for jihad. But Spanish investigators also have used wiretap evidence to present their case. Alouni claims that his conversations have been mistranslated due to his Syrian dialect. He has expressed his readiness to explain “point by point” the telephone calls that took place between him and presumed members of al-Qaida.
Taysir Alouni is credited as being the only journalist based in Afghanistan in October 2001 to show the world what the US war machine was doing to one of the world's poorest countries. His coverage triggered international outrage over the US action in Afghanistan. Alouni also covered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and miraculously survived the US bombing of the Aljazeera Baghdad bureau which killed his colleague, Tariq Ayub. Due to his work in Iraq and Afghanistan, Alouni was awarded a peace prize in December 2003 by the Francsica Mateos foundation, a Spanish NGO dedicated to international cooperation and social work in Spain. Previous recipients of the award include exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In awarding him the prize, the Foundation stated, "You are not only innocent, you are a good professional, a hero and an example to be followed."
Alouni is being kept in horrific conditions. His imprisonment conditions are such that his health has deteriorated significantly. He is being kept in a tiny cell (2.5 by 1.6 m). He is also being subjected to near total solitary confinement and not allowed outside his cell except for two hours in the morning and two in the evening, and even this is only into a small space in which he is not allowed to see more than five inmates on the strict condition of not engaging in any form of conversation and under close guard. The temperature in the cell where he is being kept is very cold reaching below zero at times. The heating is only switched on for two hours a day which has severely aggravated the back pain Alouni suffers from. He is only allowed two visitors a time which means that he is deprived of seeing his entire family together. Alouni suffers from an acute heart condition and had recently undergone a heart Catharsis operation. Any prolonged captivity would put his life in jeopardy.
In late January 2005, Alouni asked for “conditional release”. He argued that there is no risk that he will leave Spain because all of his family are Spanish and his four children live and go to school in Spain. Furthermore, Alouni has contended that he has no interest in escaping because he will lose his professional credibility.
His imprisonment is symbolic of the witch-hunt taking place against Muslims all over the world. Numerous Western journalists, including Robert Fisk, have interviewed Usama bin Laden and many other unsavoury characters; yet none of them have been charged, arrested or imprisoned for membership of a terrorist organisation. Why has Taysir Alouni been singled out for this treatment? Imprisoning a journalist for doing his job is a grave violation of freedom of the press, so often lauded as a symbol of democracy.
Suggested Action:
1. Send a letter of support to Taysir Alouni
Taysir Kate Alony (Preventivos
Centro Penitenciario Madrid 2
Carretera De Meco Km, 5
Alcalá De Henares – Madrid
C.P. 28805
Spain
2. Send a letter to Judge Baltasar Garson demanding that Mr Alouni be released immediately. He can be contacted at b.garzon@an.mju.es
3. Contact the relevant authorities below urging them to immediately release Taysir Alouni on bail on humanitarian grounds. He suffers from serious health problems and is being detained in extremely harsh conditions. Explain your belief that Mr Alouni is totally innocent and will comply with his bail conditions and present himself on the trial date to the Spanish courts.
Royal Palace
Address: Palacio de la Zarzuela 28071, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: prensa@casareal.se
Presidency Office
Complejo de la Moncloa 28071, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: correspo@mp.boe.es
acredita@mp.boe.es
4. Send a letter to the Foreign Secretary in your country raising your concerns about the latest stage in the persecution of Muslims and those who dare stand by them. A sample letter can be found below.
5. Contact the High Commission of Human Rights calling for them to intervene for the release of Alouni who is the latest victim of the neo-McCarthyism which has infected the world since 9-11.
Ms Louise Arbour
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Genève 10
Switzerland
6. Write letters to national and international newspapers expressing your outrage at what is happening. Your individual letter may not be printed but if enough people write, the chances of one of those letters being printed are highly increased.
7. Sign the petition calling for Taysir Alouni to be freed. You can sign at http://www.freetayseer.com/signe/
8. For more information on Taysir Alouni’s case, please see the following links
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