Egypt Releases Al Jazeera Journalist Held for 4 Years

Egypt released an Al Jazeera journalist who it has held for more than four years without formal charges.

Mahmoud Hussein, an Egyptian national, was released from jail on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported. “Al Jazeera Media Network welcomes the news of Mahmoud’s freedom and believes that no journalist should ever be subjected to what Mahmoud has suffered for the past four years for merely carrying out his profession,” the company said in a statement.

Egypt’s Ministry of Interior publicly accused Hussein of “disseminating false news and receiving monetary funds from foreign authorities in order to defame the state’s reputation.” Hussein and Al Jazeera, which is based in Doha, has denied the allegations.

During his imprisonment, Hussein was held for long periods in solitary confinement and denied proper medical treatment when he broke his arm in 2017.

“While he was incarcerated, Mahmoud had become a symbol of press freedom across the globe,” Mostefa Souag, acting director-general of the Al Jazeera Media Network, said in a statement. “On the day of his release, Al Jazeera calls for the freedom for all journalists who are unjustly imprisoned all around the world.”