Share

Egypt releases prominent photojournalist after 5-year term

A prominent Egyptian photojournalist was released after five years in prison and returned home on Monday to hugs from his family and friends, pledging to continue working despite having to spend the nights at a police station nearby.

Mahmoud Abu Zaid, popularly known as "Shawkan", was convicted of involvement in a 2013 sit-in protest by Islamists that was broken up by security forces in an operation that left hundreds dead.

He was taking photos at the Rabaa Square in Cairo where Muslim Brotherhood supporters had staged a sit-in that August, 2013, to denounce the ouster and detention by the military of the country's freely elected but divisive Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

"I was heading out to take photos. I come back to my home after five years," Shawkan told The Associated Press at his home in Cairo's neighbourhood of Giza.

His lawyer, Taher Abuel-Naser, said he was released from a police station earlier in the morning. An Egyptian court had ordered Shawkan's release last September after he had served out his term, but he remained behind bars as authorities said his release was still being processed.

Egypt under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a former general, has launched an unprecedented assault on journalists in recent years, imprisoning dozens and occasionally expelling some foreign journalists.

Shawkan said he has to report to the nearest police station and spend every night there from 18:00 till 06:00. But he said he would continue working as a photojournalist. "I am not the first or the last journalist to be detained," he said.

"I feel like I was born again, I feel relieved," said his mother, Reda Mahrous. "I used to stay awake at night thinking, telling myself that Mahmoud will come back today or tomorrow."

Since 2013, el-Sissi has overseen the biggest crackdown on critics in living memory, jailing thousands of Morsi's supporters as well as some of the iconic activists behind the 2011 uprising that toppled former autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.

El-Sissi has rolled back many of the freedoms won by the anti-Mubarak uprising, silenced most dissenting voices in the media and placed severe restrictions on civil society groups. The Muslim Brotherhood has been outlawed as a terrorist group.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 243 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 354 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.98
-0.4%
Rand - Pound
23.99
-0.4%
Rand - Euro
20.52
-0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.4%
Platinum
900.15
+0.4%
Palladium
1,000.00
-0.2%
Gold
2,213.05
+0.8%
Silver
24.68
+0.2%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,324
+1.0%
All Share
74,499
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,210
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,820
+0.5%
Financial 15
16,514
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE