Al Jazeera cameraman released from Guantanamo

By Firouz Sedarat

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Al Jazeera cameraman held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay for six years without charge has been released, the network said on Thursday.

Sudanese-born Sami al-Haj, who suffered health problems after a long hunger strike, arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum early on Friday aboard a U.S. military plane, the Qatar-based broadcaster said.

The Pentagon was not immediately available for comment, but a senior U.S. defense official in Washington speaking on condition of anonymity said: "He's not being released. He's being transferred to the Sudanese government."

Al Jazeera said Haj was seized by Pakistani intelligence officers while traveling near the Afghan border in December 2001, despite holding a legitimate visa to work for Al Jazeera's Arabic channel in Afghanistan.

Haj, who had been accused of making videos of Osama bin Laden, was handed to the U.S. military in January 2002 but was never charged or brought to trial, the network said.

"His detention for six years, without the most basic due process, is a grave injustice and represents a threat to all journalists working in conflict areas," said Joel Simon, executive director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

HUNGER STRIKE

Al Jazeera said Haj had been on a hunger strike since January 2007 and had been force-fed through his nose twice a day while strapped down.