Al-Jazeera Reporter Appeals Against Jail Term

An appeal by al-Jazeera correspondent Tayseer Allouni against his seven-year jail sentence will be discussed at a meeting of the Spanish supreme court today.

Allouni, a Syrian-born Spanish citizen, was jailed in Spain last September on charges "of collaborating with a terrorist organisation", but the journalist and al-Jazeera both maintain his innocence.

"We believe in Tayseer's innocence and we are confident that the supreme court will deliver the justice he deserves," said Wadah Khanfar, the director general of al-Jazeera.

"In spite of our disappointment in Tayseer's verdict, we have not lost faith in the Spanish justice system to review its decision in this appeal."

Allouni's appeal is based on legal grounds that contest what al-Jazeera calls "egregious violations of Tayseer's rights and false accusations".

The reporter was arrested in September 2003 and blames the US authorities for pressuring Spain to arrest him.

He was released on bail on health grounds but rearrested in November 2004 and was held in solitary confinement in a prison on the outskirts of Madrid. Between March 2005 and his conviction in September he was placed under house arrest.

Allouni was one of 41 people charged by Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon with links to or membership of al-Qaida, a charge denied by the journalist, who made his name reporting on the Afghan and Iraq conflicts.