Jailed Egyptian journalist, Abu Zeid to be awarded UNESCO press freedom prize
Today, Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid won
the 2018 Press Freedom Prize awarded by the United Nations cultural
agency UNESCO, a choice that drew criticism from the Egyptian
authorities.
The government arrested Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan,
in 2013 as he photographed security forces dispersing an
anti-government sit-in, during which hundreds of protesters and several
security forces members were killed.
Shawkan, who is still in detention, and more than 700 other people
face many charges, which include belonging to the banned Muslim
Brotherhood, possessing firearms and murder. If convicted, he could face
the death penalty. He will have a hearing tomorrow, but no verdict is
expected. He denies all charges, his lawyer Karim Abd el-Rady said.
International rights organisations, including Amnesty International and
The Committee to Protect Journalists, have repeatedly denounced
Shawkan’s imprisonment and urged the Egyptian authorities to drop
charges against him. Amnesty says he was imprisoned merely for doing his
job as a photojournalist.
“The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions has qualified his
arrest and detention as arbitrary and contrary to the rights and
freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” UNESCO said.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the “nomination
of the accused was driven by a number of non-governmental
organisations, including organisations dominated by the state of Qatar,
which is known for its support and continuous defence of the Brotherhood
terrorist group. Perhaps you have been following UNESCO, which intends
to award a person who is accused of a felony, and which is supported by
suspicious organizations and countries known for their support of
terrorism,” parliament speaker Ali Abdelaal told the state news agency MENA on Monday.
The prize, the Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize, will be awarded on
May 2 to mark World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO said. “The choice of
Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment
to freedom of expression,” UNESCO jury president Maria Ressa said in the
statement.
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