Sudanese authorities release Al Jazeera TV correspondent

DUBAI, April 25 (Reuters) – Arabic television Al Jazeera said that Sudan freed one of its correspondents on Sunday after he served a reduced jail term on charges of spreading false information.

The Qatar-based satellite channel said an appeals court had commuted a one-month jail sentence for its correspondent Islam Salih to two weeks, which he completed on Friday.

Sudanese authorities closed the channel’s office in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in December, accusing it of biased reporting, which Al Jazeera has said was related to its coverage of the fighting in Darfur. Al Jazeera denied bias.

Rebels launched a revolt in remote Darfur last year, accusing Khartoum of arming Arab militias who loot and burn African villages, a charge the government denies.

Al Jazeera, which is widely watched in the Arab world, has in the past upset many conservative Arab governments with its reporting. It also drew criticism in Britain and the United States over its coverage of the war in Iraq.