Taysir Alluni: A Reporter Behind Bars

[dissent1977]

Taysir Alluni: A reporter behind bars

Tuesday 25 January 2005, 12:36 Makka Time, 9:36 GMT

Alluni, who began his career as an Arabic translator for a news agency in Granada, Spain, 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.

By then working for Aljazeera, Alluni was able to capture images of civilian victims in the destitute villages of Afghanistan and the miserable streets of Kabul. His coverage triggered international outrage over the US action in Afghanistan.

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Alluni left Kabul shortly before his office was bombed, following the Taliban retreat and reporting on it. Much of what he witnessed was too distressing to show and he was himself assaulted. "Scenes that, I'm sorry, I could not describe to anybody," he said.

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His wife, Fatima al-Zahra, told Aljazeera that her husband was arrested under the pretext of misusing his position as a journalist to carry out an interview with Usama bin Ladin, during which the latter called for jihad (holy war). His colleagues suggest his successes may have counted against him. Alluni was bailed on medical grounds about a month later. He has a serious heart condition. However, he was re-arrested in November 2003 for fear he may flee the country while awaiting trial. He remains behind bars, a situation that has sparked outrage among Arab human rights groups, journalists and colleagues, who describe this controversial prosecution of this very modern Arab icon as nothing more than an attack on the freedom of the press.

More: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0C94F820-9232-41AC-B01D-81DE057F7FE4.htm

[Monkie]

1. reporter also survived two US bombings of Aljazeera offices!

"Alluni's work in that war-torn country came to an end when US forces bombed Aljazeera's Kabul office just hours before the Northern Alliance entered the Afghan capital. While many say the office was deliberately targeted, Aljazeera keeps an open mind, while still asking for an official investigation"
~snip~
"To war zone once more

Despite his deteriorating health, Alluni headed to Baghdad in the second week of the US war on Iraq in March 2003 on his next assignment.

While reporting there, he once more narrowly escaped a US bombardment. That he survived the US bombing of the Aljazeera Baghdad bureau is little short of a miracle. Aljazeera continues to pursue an official response to this attack - an onslaught that killed his colleague, Aljazeera reporter Tariq Ayub."

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