International journalists call on Egypt's Sisi to release imprisoned colleagues

A group of international journalists have signed to a letter addressed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, imploring him to release their fellow colleagues from prison.

"Mr President, we are calling on you to release all journalists who are behind bars because of their work," the letter said. "Egypt’s own constitution guarantees freedom of the press, and prohibits prosecutions based on a journalist’s work. The arrest of these reporters has cast a cloud over press and media freedom in Egypt.

"We strongly believe that upholding the rights of journalists and permitting the free flow of information is vital to bringing about greater understanding and serves the best interests of all Egyptians and the world."

Among the high-profile signatories were BBC's correspondent Lyse Doucet, Democracy Now's Sharif Abdek Kouddous, and former deputy head of Nile TV Shahira Amin.

The letter specifically highlights the cases of two Egyptian journalists, Mahmoud Abu Zeid - known as Shawkan - and Abdullah al-Fakharany.

The former, a freelance photojournalist for a variety of international media outlets, has been incarcerated since August 2013 and had his first court appearance on 12 December 2015, after more than 850 days in detention. Shawkan has been diagnosed with Hepatitis C while in prison and has been denied the proper medical treatment.

Fakharany, the founder of the online Rassd News Network, was sentenced to life in prison in April 2015. He was charged with spreading false information, but in December a court reversed his sentence. However, he still remains behind bars and at risk of receiving another life sentence.

According to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, at least 23 journalists are imprisoned by Sisi's government.

Egypt received wide international condemnation after the show trial and imprisonment of three al-Jazeera English correspondents in June 2014. After their case generated global headlines and a popular social media campaign that used the Twitter hashtag #FreeAJStaff to call for their release, all three were eventually let go in two separate decisions.