Mahmoud Hussein, a journalist with Al Jazeera, has been freed by the Egyptian government, after spending four years in prison without trial.
The 54-year-old and father-of-nine has been in prison since December 2016 before he was finally released to his family on Saturday.

Mr. Hussein was arrested in Cairo after returning from a trip to see his family in Qatar. He was interrogated for 15 hours without a lawyer present, before being released and arrested again, Al Jazeera reported. 

The Al Jazeera staff was held on allegations of false news and receiving foreign funds to defame the reputation of the state, remaining in detention for an extended period in violation of his fundamental rights.

The media outfit Al Jazeera, civil societies, and other media institution condemned his arrest by the government, since then have started campaigning for his immediate release from prison.  

Al Jazeera welcomed the news in a press statement by its acting director-general Mr. Mostefa Souag, who said the release of was “a moment of truth and an inspiring milestone towards press freedom.”

“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,” Aljazeera said in a statement Saturday.

“While he was incarcerated, Mahmoud had become a symbol of press freedom across the globe,” Al Jazeera added.

Mr. Hussein was released two weeks after Egypt and Qatar restored diplomatic, trade and travel ties, following a three three-year Saudi-led freeze on relations with Doha, with a particular focus on Al Jazeera’s coverage.  

Al Jazeera calls for the freedom of all journalists who have been unjustly imprisoned to be released across the world, while commending media, civil societies and journalists for their support, during the time Mr. Mahmoud Hussein was held.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said Egyptian authorities detained and jailed 34 journalists in 2019.