The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid ‘Shawkan’ to five years in prison over events surrounding the Rabaa Al Adaweya dispersal. Karim Abdelrady, Shawkan’s lawyer, said that he should be able to leave prison in a few days and welcomed the verdict, yet expressed that the sentence was unfair as he was only doing his job. Shawkan has already spent more than five years in prison, therefore he will not have to spend any longer in prison despite the five year sentence. Shawkan was accused of launching arson attacks on public utilities, resisting authorities, blocking roads, illegally possessing weapons and organising an armed gathering in Rabaa square. He has been in prison since August 2013, when he was arrested while covering the clashes between Egypt’s security forces and the protesters. In April, he was awarded the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize, which was criticized by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and the parliament. Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zeid said that the accusations against Shawkan are not because of his journalism work, but because of his criminal history. Nevertheless, the Photojournalists Department at the Press Syndicate in Egypt affirmed its full…
