No one can give Shawkan back the more than 850 days of his life spent in jail
It is not uncommon for international reporters to be released, while local journalists remain in prison. Mahmoud Abou Zeid, or “Shawkan,” a freelance photographer, was detained on August 14, 2013, while covering clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
In a letter from Tora prison, he wrote on his 600th day behind bars: “I was arrested along with fellow freelance French photojournalist Louis Jammes and American journalist Mike Giglio. Our group was then divided. Jammes and Giglio were released after just two hours. Those of us remaining were kept at the Cairo Stadium for the rest of the day and were transferred to a police station later. My hands were still tied behind my back–my wrists bleeding from the tightness of the plastic ligature. I can still see the scars.”
In September 2015, after over two years of pretrial detention, Shawkan’s case was finally referred to a Cairo criminal court. The trial is scheduled to begin on December 12.