Jailed Egypt photographer says he’s been ‘forgotten’
Jailed Egypt photographer says he’s been ‘forgotten’
August 16, 2016 | 12:00 AM
Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abdel Shakour, known as Shawkan, gestures from inside a soundproof glass dock, during his trial in Cairo on Aug. 9. — AFP
August 16, 2016 | 12:00 AM
Last Updated: August 16, 2016 | 12:00 AM
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Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abdel Shakour, known as Shawkan, gestures from inside a soundproof glass dock, during his trial in Cairo on Aug. 9. — AFP [/caption]CAIRO — Shouting to make himself heard from the soundproof glass dock during a break in his trial, Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abdel Shakour said he feels he has been “forgotten” in prison.
Three years ago, Abdel Shakour — known as Shawkan — had been covering the police dispersal of an Islamist protest camp in Cairo when he was arrested, and he has been in jail ever since.
August 14, 2013 was the bloodiest day in Egypt’s modern history, and one of the deadliest in the region since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
Hundreds of Islamists supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi, toppled by the military in July that year, were mowed down by police in clashes. About 10 cops were killed.
Three years later, thousands of Islamists remain in prison after a wide-ranging crackdown that has extended to leftists and even journalists like Shawkan.
The photographer spent months in pre-trial detention before he was put on trial along with hundreds of other defendants over the protest. “I feel like I’ve been forgotten in prison,” Shawkan, 29, told an AFP reporter during a break at a recent court session, yelling through the glass barrier to make himself heard.
“I feel despair, and powerless. Time is flying by while I’m in jail.”
He is imprisoned in a poorly ventilated cell which becomes scorching hot in summer.
“My hope diminishes every day,” he said.
Sitting on his bed back home, next to a framed picture of her son, Shawkan’s mother Reda Mahrous said she has trouble getting to sleep. “I feel oppression and injustice,” she said, wearing a green bracelet that her son made her in prison. “Every day I make his bed, and wait for a knock on the door to see him before me. But it never happens.”
Shawkan and his 738 co-defendants are accused of involvement in the killings of cops and resisting the authorities during the protest dispersal. If convicted, they face death penalty.
Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abdel Shakour, known as Shawkan, gestures from inside a soundproof glass dock, during his trial in Cairo on Aug. 9. — AFP [/caption]CAIRO — Shouting to make himself heard from the soundproof glass dock during a break in his trial, Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abdel Shakour said he feels he has been “forgotten” in prison.
Three years ago, Abdel Shakour — known as Shawkan — had been covering the police dispersal of an Islamist protest camp in Cairo when he was arrested, and he has been in jail ever since.
August 14, 2013 was the bloodiest day in Egypt’s modern history, and one of the deadliest in the region since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
Hundreds of Islamists supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi, toppled by the military in July that year, were mowed down by police in clashes. About 10 cops were killed.
Three years later, thousands of Islamists remain in prison after a wide-ranging crackdown that has extended to leftists and even journalists like Shawkan.
The photographer spent months in pre-trial detention before he was put on trial along with hundreds of other defendants over the protest. “I feel like I’ve been forgotten in prison,” Shawkan, 29, told an AFP reporter during a break at a recent court session, yelling through the glass barrier to make himself heard.
“I feel despair, and powerless. Time is flying by while I’m in jail.”
He is imprisoned in a poorly ventilated cell which becomes scorching hot in summer.
“My hope diminishes every day,” he said.
Sitting on his bed back home, next to a framed picture of her son, Shawkan’s mother Reda Mahrous said she has trouble getting to sleep. “I feel oppression and injustice,” she said, wearing a green bracelet that her son made her in prison. “Every day I make his bed, and wait for a knock on the door to see him before me. But it never happens.”
Shawkan and his 738 co-defendants are accused of involvement in the killings of cops and resisting the authorities during the protest dispersal. If convicted, they face death penalty. 
