Egyptian photojournalist released after five years in prison

The award-winning Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, who is widely known as Shawkan, has been released after five years in prison.

Shawkan was arrested in 2013 while covering a deadly crackdown by security forces on a sit-in by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

Last September he was convicted in a mass trialand handed a five-year jail sentence, which he had already served.

Amnesty International said he was detained solely for doing his job.

"Mahmoud Abou Zeid's long overdue release brings to an end a painful ordeal for him and his family," Najia Bounaim, the human rights group's Middle East and North Africa director, said on Monday.

"As a prisoner of conscience, he should never have been forced to spend a single minute behind bars - let alone five-and-a-half years."

Ms Bounaim added that he still faced "outrageous" probation measures that would require him to spend 12 hours of each day at a police station - from 18:00 to 06:00 - for the next five years.