Lawyer calls for Alluni’s acquittal
The lawyer of an Aljazeera correspondent who is being tried in Spain on terrorism charges has called for his immediate acquittal.
Speaking during a hearing in Madrid on Wednesday, the lawyer said Taysir Alluni, 50, has never been involved in any terrorist actions.
He said there is no evidence to prove that Alluni was linked to al-Qaida, and added that the correspondent’s trial has been flawed.
Syrian-born Alluni was first arrested in 2003 on suspicion of links with al-Qaida as part of an investigation into suspected Islamist operations in Spain.
A Spanish citizen, he was released due to chronic back problems and heart ailments but was re-arrested in December 2004 when Spanish authorities feared he might flee the country.
However, he was released from prison a second time and returned to his Granada home in March after serving 119 days in solitary confinement.
Alluni, who began his career as an Arabic translator for a news agency in Granada, Spain, rose to prominence as Aljazeera’s correspondent during the US-led wars on Afghanistan and Iraq.