CAIRO (REUTERS) - Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid won the 2018 Press Freedom Prize awarded by the United Nations cultural agency Unesco on Monday (April 23), 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 on Tuesday, 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.

Rights groups say a crackdown by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has muzzled freedom of expression after the overthrow of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013.

"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 on Monday.

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 organisations 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.</s>'The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,' says Maria Ressa, president of the independent international jury of media professionals on the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

MANILA, Philippines – Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan, is the recipient of the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

Abu Zeid was selected by an independent international jury of media professionals led by Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a press statement on Monday, April 23.

“The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,” said Ressa, president of the Jury.

Abu Zeid, a freelance photographer who has worked for photo agencies such as Demotix and Corbis, is one of the longest-detained journalists in Egypt.

He was arrested on August 14, 2013, when hundreds were killed as security forces cleared two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo.

In 2017, the prosecutor handling his case reportedly recommended the death penalty for Abu Zeid.

In the case of Abu Zeid, UNESCO said "the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions 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."

In 2015, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) deemed Egypt as the third most dangerous country for journalists, following the arrest and detention of a growing number of journalists.

The Prize will be awarded on May 2, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated in Ghana this year. This year’s theme is “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law.”

UNESCO said the Prize “recognizes a person, organization, or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defense or promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger.”

The Prize is named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogotá, Colombia, on 17 December 1986.

Laureates of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Prize receive $25,000. The Prize is funded by the Guillermo Cano Isaza Foundation (Colombia), the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland), and The Namibia Media Trust. – Rappler.com</s>PARIS, Apr 23 2018 (UNESCO) - Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan, has been selected by an independent international jury of media professionals as the laureate of the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize.

“The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,” 

 Maria Ressa, President of the Jury



Shawkan, a photojournalist, has been in jail since 14 August 2013 when he was arrested while covering a demonstration at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo. In early 2017, the prosecutor in his case reportedly called for the death penalty. 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.

“The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,” said Maria Ressa, President of the Jury.

The Prize will be awarded on 2 May on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated in Ghana this year and whose theme is Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law.

The Prize (link is external) recognizes a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence or promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger. It is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogotá, Colombia, on 17 December 1986.

Laureates of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Prize receive $25,000. The Prize is funded by the Guillermo Cano Isaza Foundation (link is external) (Colombia), the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (link is external) (Finland), and The Namibia Media Trust.</s>Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, better known as Shawkan, will be awarded the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize, the United Nations cultural branch announced on Monday.

"The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression," said jury president Maria Ressa.

Read more: 'I am a journalist, not a criminal'

Shawkan has been in prison since August 14, 2013, where he reportedly faces the death penalty. He was arrested while covering violent clashes between supporters of ousted President Morsi and security forces in Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo, which left hundreds of Islamist protesters dead.

Zeid was selected for the award by an independent international jury of media professionals. He has contributed to publications including Time Magazine, Die Zeit, BILD, Media Group, and online photo agency, Demotix.

In a letter Shawkan wrote to DW on World Press Freedom Day in 2015, he said, "I don't know when this nightmare is going to end just because I was doing my job as a photojournalist during the operation of the dispersal of the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp."

"I am living in a tiny cell under harsh conditions that an animal wouldn't bear and am facing false accusations with no grounds of truth and mixed up with protesters who were arrested," he continued.

The letter ended with the words: "I am a journalist not a criminal…HELP ME!!"

Shawkan had been in prison, where he remains, for more than 600 days at the time.

Read more: Freedom of the press in Turkey: a slippery slope; Interview Özgür Mumcu

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions has determined Shawkan's arrest and detention is 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.

The Press Freedom Prize recognizes a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defense or promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger. It is named in honor of Guillermo Cano, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Spectador, in Bogota, Colombia on December 17, 1986.

The Prize will be awarded on World Press Freedom Day in May, celebrated this year in Ghana under the theme "Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law."</s>(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Mahmoud Abu Zeid, a photojournalist who has been in jail for nearly five years after being arrested for covering a demonstration in Cairo, has won the 2018 Press Freedom Prize.

According to the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Zeid was selected to receive the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize, the UN agency said.

An independent jury of media professionals selected Zeid, known as Shawkan, for the prize.

The prize would be awarded on May 2, to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO said.

“The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,’’ Maria Ressa, President of the jury, said.

According to UNESCO, Zeid has been in jail since Aug. 14, 2013, when he was arrested while covering a demonstration at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo.

In early 2017, the prosecutor in his case reportedly called for the death penalty.

His arrest and detention had been deemed arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions and contrary to the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The 25,000-dollar prize recognises a person, organisation or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence or promotion of press freedom, especially in the face of danger.

It is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist, who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá, on Dec. 17, 1986.

It is funded by the Cano Foundation (Colombia) and the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland).

UNESCO would lead the 25th celebration of World Press Freedom Day next week in Accra.

The global theme for 2018 is: “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law”.

The theme covers issues such as media and the transparency of the political process, the independence and media literacy of the judicial system and contemporary challenges of ensuring press freedom online.

Zeid, 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.

He will have a hearing on April 24, (today), but no verdict is expected. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

He denies all charges, his lawyer, Karim 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.(NAN)</s>Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known by his nickname Shawkan, appears before a judge in Cairo, Egypt. File picture: Lobna Tarek/El Shorouk Newspaper via AP

Paris - The United Nations' cultural agency ignored warnings from Egypt and awarded the World Press Freedom Prize Monday to an imprisoned Egyptian photographer.

An independent jury panel for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization gave the honour to Mahmoud Abu Zeid, a photojournalist known as Shawkan.

He has been jailed since August 2013, when he was arrested in Cairo in while covering a demonstration at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square.

Jury President Maria Ressa said the award, which recognizes work that promotes freedom of the press, especially under dangerous conditions, "pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression."

Egypt's Foreign Ministry strongly warned UNESCO on Sunday against recognizing Shawkan, saying he faced terror-related charges.

Egypt's parliament speaker, Ali Abdel-Al, said Monday "the organization has tried before to take a political approach in some issues that led some countries to walk out." He urged UNESCO to keep its focus on culture and science instead.

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions has called Shawkan's arrest arbitrary and said his continued detention infringes on his human rights.

The $25,000 World Press Freedom Prize was established in 1997 to honor Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian newspaper editor who was gunned down outside El Espectador's offices in Bogota in 1986.

Drug traffickers are believed to have ordered Cano's assassination because of his work documenting the effects of the Colombian drug trade.</s>Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, better known as Shawkan, on Monday was awarded the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize.

Shawkan was arrested in 2013 in Cairo while covering the violent dispersal of a protest of the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president.

"The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression," said Maria Ressa, head of the independent international jury of media professionals who picked the prize winners.

After more than four years in an Egyptian prison, the award-winning photojournalist, now 31, faces a possible death sentence.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions calls his arrest and detention arbitrary and a violation of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

"The Prize will be awarded on May 2 on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated in Ghana this year and whose theme is Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and the Rule of Law," UNESCO said in a statement.

The prize, named in honor of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist assassinated in 1986 in front of the offices of his newspaper in Bogota, recognizes a person, organization, or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defense or promotion of press freedom, especially in the face of danger.

Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, was ousted in a military coup in 2013. Ever since, Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on his supporters and the Muslim Brotherhood group, killing hundreds and putting thousands behind bars.</s>Detained Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, widely known as Shawkan, will be awarded UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Prize, the United Nations’ cultural body said Monday.

Shawkan was arrested in August 2013 as he covered deadly clashes in Cairo between security forces and supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

He is one of 700 defendants facing charges of killing police and vandalising property during the clashes.

“The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,” said Maria Ressa, head of the UNESCO jury which is awarding the prize.

Egypt’s foreign affairs ministry on Sunday voiced its “profound regret that an organisation with the status of UNESCO would honour a person accused of terrorist and criminal acts”.

Several hundred people, including three journalists, were killed during the security forces’ bloody dispersal of a pro-Morsi sit-in after the military ousted the Islamist in 2013.

Egypt’s first democratically elected president had taken office in 2012 but faced mass protests a year into his controversial rule.

Press freedom group Reporters without Borders (RSF) ranks Egypt 161st out of 180 countries on its press freedom index, saying at least 31 journalists are currently detained in the North African country.

It slammed a decision by the Egyptian prosecution in March to seek the death penalty against Shawkan.

UNESCO said it will officially award its prize to Shawkan on May 2, to mark World Press Freedom Day.</s>A photojournalist who has been in prison for nearly five years since his arrest for covering a demonstration in Cairo has been selected to receive this year’s press freedom prize from the United Nations cultural body UNESCO, the UN said on Monday.

An independent jury of media professionals selected Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan, for the 2018 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize, which will be awarded on 2 May in connection with World Press Freedom Day,the UN stated.

“The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,” Maria Ressa, President of the jury.

According to UNESCO, Shawkan has been in jail since 14 August 2013 when he was arrested while covering a demonstration at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo. In early 2017, the prosecutor in his case reportedly called for the death penalty.

Abu Zeid's arrest and detention have been deemed arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, and contrary to the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The 25,000 dollar prize recognises a person, organisation or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence or promotion of press freedom, especially in the face of danger.

The award is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogota, on 17 December 1986. It is funded by the Cano Foundation (Colombia) and the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland).

UNESCO will lead the 25th celebration of World Press Freedom Day next week in Accra, Ghana.</s>The United Nations' cultural agency ignored warnings from Egypt and awarded the World Press Freedom prize Monday to an imprisoned Egyptian photographer.

A jury panel for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization gave the honor to Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan. The photojournalist has been jailed since August 2013, when he was arrested in Cairo in while covering a demonstration at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square.

Jury President Maria Ressa said the award, which recognizes the promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger, "pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression."

Egypt's Foreign Ministry strongly warned UNESCO on Sunday against recognizing Shawkan, saying he faced terror-related charges.

Egypt's parliament speaker, Ali Abdel-Al, said Monday "the organization has tried before to take a political approach in some issues that led some countries to walk out." He urged UNESCO to keep its focus on culture and science instead.

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions has called Shawkan's arrest arbitrary and said his continued detention infringes on his human rights.
United Nations cultural authority UNESCO awards imprisoned Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid the 2018 Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, drawing criticism from Egypt. Abu Zeid faces the death penalty.