Al Jazeera Journalist Detained in Egypt for Four Years Released

Al Jazeera correspondent Hisham Abdel Aziz was released early this Monday after four years in prison in Egypt, an Arabic TV channel reported.

“Egyptian authorities released their colleague Hisham Abdel Aziz, Al Jazeera journalist Mubasher, this Monday morning after four years in prison,” Al Jazeera reported, quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE.

The TV channel of the government of the monarchy of Qatar added that the family of the journalist has already been informed that Hisham Abdel Aziz is already at home in Cairo.

Egyptian Journalists Union President Khaled Elbalshi also welcomed the release: “A thousand congratulations on the release of fellow journalist Hisham Abdel Aziz and his return home. Let’s hope that the same will happen to other arrested colleagues.”

Al Jazeera recalled this Monday that Egyptian security forces arrested the journalist in June 2019 while he was on vacation, noting that there are two other journalists from the station who are still in Egyptian custody.

Therefore, the television station called for the release of Bahaa Edin Ibrahim and Rabea Al Sheikh, who were detained in exactly the same situation: when they were on holiday in Egypt.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Egypt is one of the world’s largest prisons for journalists, currently holding 22 reporters, and one of the countries with the least respect for press freedom, with Egypt ranked 168th on the list. 180 countries. compiled annually by the RSF.

EFE recalled that Egypt – along with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – severed relations with Qatar due to political differences between 2017 and 2021, but relations between Cairo and Doha have improved, especially at the economic level.