Aljazeera reporter to testify in Spain
A Spanish court is set to hear the testimony of Aljazeera’s reporter Taysir Alluni.
Alluni is expected to answer questions from the prosecutor and the court’s judge as part of court hearings in the trial of 24 defendants on Monday.
Michele al-Kaik, director of Aljazeera’s office in Paris, reported from Madrid that Alluni’s testimony had been due last Monday but was postponed to Wednesday due to the long testimonies of other defendants.
Alluni is accused of having connections with Imad al-Din Sharkas, a Syrian allegedly accused of being one of al-Qaida’s Spanish cell, transferring money to Afghanistan during his professional trips there, making use of his journalistic activities to finance, support and organise al-Qaida activities and being a member of al-Qaida’s Spanish cell, as stated in the 40 pages.
Most of the questions concentrate on recordings of phone calls Alluni has made since 1995, al-Kaik said, adding that Taysir was expected to ask the court to present those recordings in front of the Arab and international observers, attending Monday’s hearing.
Alluni earlier said that phone call recordings were mistranslated.
A special committee of observers, including those of Arab and international rights organisations and the head of Reporters Sans Frontiers, arrived on Sunday evening in Madrid to supervise the hearing, al-Kaik said.
The court has presented photographs and documents of many defendants during all previous hearings, he said.
The court is expected to finish the hearings within two months.