| Intro | Egyptian photojournalist |
| Is | Photojournalist |
| From | Egypt |
| Type | Journalism |
| Gender | male |
| Birth |
1987 |
| Age | 34 years |
Mahmoud Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan, (born ca. 1987), an Egyptian photojournalist, was arrested for taking photos at the Rabaa massacre August 14, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt and imprisoned during the post-coup unrest by the Egyptian government since 2013, where he faces the death penalty.
Personal life
Mahmoud Abu Zeid was born circa 1987. In 2016 Zeid has Hepatitis C, which he was diagnosed for while in prison. He has also been diagnosed with malnourishment, anemia, and depression, as well as lacking proper medical care.
Career
Zeid is an award-winning freelance photojournalist. He started working for Demotix in April 2010. In the wake of the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état, Zeid took photographs of protests against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. His work has been published in Time, The Sun, Die Zeit, Bild as well as on the BBC website. His work has also been reproduced by Amnesty International, Global Voices, IFEX, Index on Censorship and Open Democracy.
Arrest
Zeid was arrested along with two other journalists while he was taking pictures of the August 14, 2013 Rabaa massacre. The two other non-Egyptian journalists were released but Shawkan remained in prison for more than two years without charges. His case, along with 700 other defendents, is known as the “Rabaa sit-in dispersal”. Shawkan’s camera has not been used as evidence he is a photojournalist, which makes his status as a prisoner ambiguous. By November 2015, he had been in “pre-trial detention for over two years”. On 26 March 2016, he was charged with six offences, and, as a result, he faces the death penalty.
Context
Egypt is among the top ten countries of world in the imprisonment of journalists with 12. Shawkan is being held in Egypt’s Tora Prison. As of end of 2015, China has the largest number of imprisoned journalists for the past two years with the number of 49 journalists.
Reactions
There is an international campaign for Shawkan’s release using the hashtag #FreeShawkan and several press freedom organizations including the Rory Peck Trust and the Committee to Protect Journalists have called for his release, while Amnesty International has started an online petition for it. In February 2015, the Committee to Protect Journalists met with officials in Egypt to call for his release. Shawkan is a featured case in the Press Uncuffed campaign, a campaign led by Dana Priest and her students at the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism in collaboration with the Committee to Protect Journalists to help free imprisoned journalists throughout the world by selling bracelets bearing their names and raising awareness about their cases. In 2016 the Committee to Protect Journalists organized an exhibit of Shawkan’s work at the Bronx Documentary Center.
According to Jason Stern, a senior Middle East and North Africa research associate for the CPJ, Shawkan should have never been arrested for performing his job duties. In a letter published by news outlets such as National Public Radio and Deutsche Welle, as well as human rights groups, Shawkan writes about how journalism in Egypt has become a crime. There are thirteen journalists who are facing a life sentence or death.
Shawkan’s brother, Mohammed, spoke on his brother’s imprisonment, “For a year, my brother is being held without charges in prison, he was detained during the dispersal of Rabaa and his detention has been renewed since then. My brother never held a gun, he was simply doing his job, but unfortunately he was a freelancer, so he had no institution to back him or offer any support.”
Exhibits
- “The Price of Photography: Shawkan, 1,000+ Days Behind Bars,” at the Bronx Documentary Center.
- “Why Has This Egyptian Photojournalist Been Imprisoned for More Than 1,000 Days?”. Slate. 7 September 2016.
Awards
- 2016, John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award. A statement from the National Press Club said, “Shawkan’s case exemplifies the draconian way Egyptian authorities have cracked down on the press. Egypt is one of the world’s top jailers of news professionals, and the situation there is not improving.”
- 2016, International Press Freedom Awards, from the Committee to Protect Journalists
- “National Press Club honors two photographers with Press Freedom Awards”. National Press Club (US). 24 June 2016.
- “Mahmoud Abou Zeid, Egypt – Awards”. Committee to Protect Journalists.
Foundations
The Free Shawkan Foundation was founded in the United States to advocate for Shawkan and other imprisoned journalists worldwide.