The Egyptian prosecutor's office asked the local court for a death sentence for the photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zid - this is stated in a statement published by the NGO Reporters Without Borders. The last few years, the photographer was behind bars - he was arrested in August 2013 during protests in Cairo, where he worked as a photojournalist for the British photo agency Demotix.

Then the authorities detained about 700 people, charging them with various articles: from attempted murder to membership in the Muslim Brotherhood, which is recognized as terrorist in Egypt, writes pdnpulse. pdnonline. com.

Various organizations have been trying to free the photographer for several years.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, in particular, awarded Abu Zid with the International Press Freedom Award and financed an exhibition of his works - so the organization tried to draw attention to the difficult situation in which the photographer turned out to be. On numerous appeals to release the photojournalist the Egyptian authorities do not react in any way.

"Imposing a death sentence on a photographer who only covered an opposition action is not justice, but political persecution," the "Reporters Without Borders". - The only fault of Mahmud is that he simply performed his work as a photographer. He must be released. ".