Shawkan

The Latest Delay for Shawkan

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

A journalist’s job is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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The trial of the photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid (“Shawkan”) was postponed once again today, November 1, this time until November 19, 2016. I sent inquiries to several sources this morning with the request for any details about today’s hearing. No one has yet replied.

Anyone following Shawkan’s case can see that the waiting is wearying. Look at the photo at top. It was taken today, November 1. The trial itself is trial enough for Shawkan, who is a photojournalist who was arrested in a general roundup of a protest in August 2013.

Thus the next court appearance for Shawkan will be Saturday, November 19, in Cairo, Egypt. It will be the latest chapter in a three-year saga, a Kafkaesque tale that should not be taking place at all. I published this article yesterday about this tale of a journalist trapped in a story:
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Trapped in Hell: Shawkan’s Uncertain Future

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

A journalist’s job is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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The next court appearance for the photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid (“Shawkan”) is December 10 in Cairo, Egypt. It will be the latest chapter in a three-year saga, a Kafkaesque tale that should not be taking place at all. Some background about this tale of a journalist trapped in a story:
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Oct. 24: A Visit with Shawkan

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

Update, October 24/25, 2016: Two sources confirmed to me this afternoon that the father of Mahmoud Abou Zeid, the Egyptian photographer known as “Shawkan,” saw him in prison on Monday, October 24. Shawkan is safe and is at present located at the Tora Investigation Complex, which is a different part of the prison in which he had been held prisoner most recently during his three-year-plus ordeal.

Some background: Shawkan’s brother, Mehmet, visited Tora Prison to see his brother last week, at which time he was informed that Shawkan was not at the prison. (Mehmet confirmed this himself to this website and to other publications.) This was the first time that anyone had learned of Shawkan’s transfer. To the best that I have been able to ascertain, even Shawkan’s lawyers had not been contacted in advance or advised about any changes in Shawkan’s status.
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