And finally, after five years and half, award-winning photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan is a free man officially. He is at his home at last.
He has been released at last from a couple of hours ago on Monday from Al-Harm police station to finalize the procedures of his release after his long time in jail.
Shawkan was among the 215 defendants who were sentenced to five years in prison by Criminal Court in September 2081 in the famous Rabaa Sit-in dispersal case
Abu-Zeid and the rest of the 214 defendants already served 5 years in total in detention pending investigation prior this long trial.
They were not released immediately and had to wait from September 2018 to February 2019 because they were serving their extra time in prison because they could not pay a fine for the financial losses caused by Rabaa sit-in and its dispersal.
That’s why he and others sit in jail for extra months.
There is a sad fact that for that for the next five years, Shawkan and the 214 others will spend 12 hours of their day at the police station where their residence address belongs to for the next five years.
Yes, Shawkan and 214 others will be under police probation for the next five years.
I do not need to remind you that independent photojournalist Shawkan was doing his job and was covering the dispersal Rabaa sit-in on that unforgettable day in August 2013 when he was arrested along with two foreign reporters.
The two foreign reporters were released but Shawkan, who is not officially a member of journalists syndicate was left behind.
I am happy that Shawkan is a free man at last.
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| Shawkan and his famous camera sign at his home at last on Monday "Mohamed El-Raey" |
He has been released at last from a couple of hours ago on Monday from Al-Harm police station to finalize the procedures of his release after his long time in jail.
Shawkan was among the 215 defendants who were sentenced to five years in prison by Criminal Court in September 2081 in the famous Rabaa Sit-in dispersal case
Abu-Zeid and the rest of the 214 defendants already served 5 years in total in detention pending investigation prior this long trial.
They were not released immediately and had to wait from September 2018 to February 2019 because they were serving their extra time in prison because they could not pay a fine for the financial losses caused by Rabaa sit-in and its dispersal.
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| Shakwan earlier with his father and brother |
That’s why he and others sit in jail for extra months.
There is a sad fact that for that for the next five years, Shawkan and the 214 others will spend 12 hours of their day at the police station where their residence address belongs to for the next five years.
Yes, Shawkan and 214 others will be under police probation for the next five years.
I do not need to remind you that independent photojournalist Shawkan was doing his job and was covering the dispersal Rabaa sit-in on that unforgettable day in August 2013 when he was arrested along with two foreign reporters.
The two foreign reporters were released but Shawkan, who is not officially a member of journalists syndicate was left behind.
I am happy that Shawkan is a free man at last.
He is not free. He still has to serve detention from 6pm to 6am. and he hasn't been released again!
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