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Supreme Court upholds seven-year jail sentence for Al-Jazeera journalist; RSF concerned about journalist's health

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders reiterated its concern about the state of health of Al-Jazeera presenter Tayssir Allouni after Spain's Supreme Court, on 1 June 2006, upheld his seven-year prison sentence for "collaborating" with Al-Qaeda. Allouni, who has heart problems, received the sentence on 26 September 2005, when he was tried along with 23 other people on charges of being implicated in terrorist activities in Spain.

"We call on the Spanish prison authorities to take care with the conditions in which he is held," the press freedom organisation said. "We will also support his family if it decides to take this case before Spain's Constitutional Court so that all doubts can be dispelled."

Allouni's wife, Fatima Allouni, has said she plans to appeal to the Constitutional Court to overturn his conviction. The family has 20 days from the date of the Supreme Court decision to file an appeal.

Allouni, who is famous for interviewing Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, was arrested for the first time in Spain in September 2003 and was released a month later on health grounds. He was re-arrested and placed in pre-trial detention in November 2004. He was freed again during his trial but remained under judicial control.