Allouni moved from Spanish jail as health deteriorates, says wife

Doha: Al Jazeera television journalist Tayseer Allouni, who is serving a seven-year jail term in Spain on terror charges, has been put under house arrest due to his deteriorating health, his wife has said.

Doha-based Fatima Zahra said yesterday Allouni, who suffers from a serious heart condition, was released from a high security jail and transferred to his Granada home and is now awaiting surgery.

"My husband is under house arrest because of his condition. His health has deteriorated over the past year and now he is waiting to have a heart surgery," Zahra told Gulf News.

"He was refused proper medical care in the Spanish jail, where he was confined in a small cage for 20 hours a day. This has put his life at risk."

Syrian born Allouni, a naturalised Spaniard, was arrested in 2003 as part of an investigation into suspected terror operations in Spain.

The country's Supreme Court found him guilty along with 16 other suspects of links with Al Qaida terror network and sentenced him to a seven-year jail term.

Allouni earned fame for conducting an interview with Osama Bin Laden in October 2001 in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.

Allouni has always proclaimed his innocence.

"We have appealed to the Spanish Constitutional Court and we will appeal to the European Court for Human Rights if necessary," Fatima said.

"There is no clear evidence against Tayseer. His only fault was to carry out the interview with Bin Laden. However we are confident his innocence in the end would be proved."

Al Jazeera TV network, the Arab Association for the Defence of Journalists and other organisations have repeatedly called for the release of journalists.