Sami Al-Haj is a Qatari journalist who is the Director of Al Jazeera Center for Public Liberties and Human Rights. He holds a Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Pune in India, an MBA from the Nile Valley University in Sudan, and a PhD for his thesis (The Role of Media in the Protection of Human Rights) from the Islamic University of Khartoum in Sudan.
In 2001, while covering the war in Afghanistan, Sami was arrested by the Pakistani military, who handed him over to the U.S. forces and deported him to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. He spent more than six years, and was released without charge, on May 1, 2008.
Benefiting from his experience and qualifications, as the Director of the Center, he and his team monitor news and issues related to human rights violations and freedom of the press.
