Egypt Frees Al Jazeera Journalist After Months-Long Hunger Strike

The Egyptian government freed Al Jazeera journalist Abdullah Elshamy out of concerns for his health Tuesday following a months-long hunger strike.

Elshamy was arrested during a raid of protest camps in Cairo last August and has been held since without trial. He began his hunger strike about six months ago, and is reported to have lost one-third of his body weight.

RELATED: Egypt Detains AP Cameraman After Possibly Mistaking Him for Al Jazeera Employee

Elshamy was released along with about a dozen other journalists. However, three Al Jazeera English journalists who were arrested last fall for reporting “false news” remain imprisoned, last seen appearing in a courtroom in cages. Egypt has cracked down on the Qatar-owned news agency over alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

[h/t Ahram]

[Image via Elshamy’s family]

——
>> Follow Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!