The family and lawyer of a prominent Egyptian photojournalist say he has been released after five years in prison.
Mahmoud Abu Zaid, a photojournalist known as "Shawkan," was convicted for involvement in a 2013 sit-in protest by Islamists that was broken up by security forces in an operation that left hundreds dead.
His lawyer, Taher Abuel-Naser, says he was released from a police station in the Giza neighborhood in Cairo on Monday morning. His family confirmed his release.
Egypt under general-turned-president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has launched an unprecedented assault on journalists in recent years, imprisoning dozens and occasionally expelling some foreign journalists.
A court ordered Shawkan's release in September after he served five years, but he remained behind bars as authorities said his release was being processed.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)