Free Shawkan photo exhibition

Join Amnesty International UK for an exhibition of photographs on protest, repression and daily life in Egypt, by the jailed Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan. The exhibition, and Amnesty's work on Shawkan's case, will be introduced by Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Campaigner.

Shawkan was covering a sit-in on 14 August 2013 in Cairo when security forces, police and tanks swept in. As they fired bullets and tear gas, he photographed the mayhem around him.

When the police found out that Shawkan was a journalist, they arrested him, tied his hands together with plastic cables that cut through his skin, and beat him. Up to a thousand people were killed on that day across Egypt, and Shawkan was among hundreds arrested.

He has now been detained without charge for over three years, in contravention of Egyptian law. He has Hepatitis C, but has been denied adequate medication. His health is deteriorating.

Shawkan faces nine trumped-up charges, including 'joining a criminal gang' and 'murder'. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.