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Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid appears before a judge in Cairo in 2015. (Lobna Tarek/El Shorouk Newspaper via AP)

When a photographer faces the death penalty

Mahmoud Abou Zeid has spent more than 1,700 days in jail. The Egyptian photographer, also known as Shawkan, was arrested on Aug. 14, 2013 as he documented deathly clashes between Egyptian security forces and protesters in Cairo.

Zeid and 700 other protesters who were also arrested that day all face the death penalty for charges that include murder, attempted murder and illegal assembly. They are being blamed for the unrest, which led to the death of close to 1,000 people after police and army officers opened fire on the crowd.

On that August day, Zeid, holding just a camera, was on assignment for Demotix, a British photo agency that mostly sourced the work of photographers in developing countries to distribute to worldwide news organizations.

Like many freelance photographers, Zeid didn't have a press card — Egypt's Press Syndicate has strict rules on who is considered an accredited journalist, like many other accrediting groups around the world.

Last month, Zeid received the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize, which recognizes a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defense or promotion of press freedom especially in the face of danger. "The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression," said Maria Ressa, the jury's chair.

Zeid's trial will continue on Saturday with closing arguments expected in days or weeks. But his fate remains a stark reminder of the risks photographers take on a daily basis — something we can't ever forget. -Olivier Laurent

(Sergei Guneyev / AP)

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