Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, widely known as Shawkan, plays with his niece at his home in the capital Cairo on March 4, 2019. (Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images)Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the most high-profile journalist imprisoned by Egypt, was released Monday after more than five years in jail for what human rights groups say was simply doing his job covering anti-government protests. In the end, Shawkan, 31, was released only because he had completed his prison term before finally being formally sentenced last September. The Committee to Protect Journalists has put the number of journalists in jail at 24. Shawkan has denied the allegations and said he was there to take photos for a British-based photo agency, Demotix.

Source: Washington Post March 04, 2019 11:19 UTC