EGYPT: 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. His case comes as Egypt, under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has launched an unprecedented assault on reporters and the media in recent years, imprisoning dozens and occasionally expelling some foreign journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalist welcomed his release and urged Egyptian authorities to “end their shameful treatment of this photojournalist by removing any conditions to his release.” Shawkan was honoured with CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 2016. Egypt remains among the world’s worst jailers of journalists along with Turkey and China, according to CPJ. Last April, the United Nations’ cultural agency ignored warnings from the Egyptian government and awarded Shawkan the World Press Freedom Prize.

Source: Pakistan Today March 04, 2019 10:52 UTC