Egypt releases Al Jazeera journalist Hisham Abdelaziz after nearly 4 years in prison

Egyptian journalist Hisham Abdelaziz was released from prison in his country on Monday after spending nearly four years behind bars.

Abdelaziz, who works for Qatar-based Al Jazeera network, arrived at his home early on Monday, where he received a call from Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate Khaled Elbalshy congratulating him on his release.

"Thanks to the attorney general, and thanks for every effort made to release the imprisoned colleagues," Elbalshy told the press.

"The decision comes a day after the blocking of the Darb website was lifted, days before the launch of the national dialogue, which we hope will include the release of remaining…and the lifting of the blocking of the rest of the sites," he added.

Abdelaziz was among 40 individuals pardoned before the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr. His family was reportedly sceptical of his release as this was previously delayed.

In June 2019, Abdelaziz was briefly detained and his passport confiscated upon arriving at Cairo International Airport from the Qatari capital Doha.

A few days later, he was interrogated by a state security prosecutor after he was summoned to receive his passport. The prosecutor then ordered him to be detained over alleged terror-related charges - an accusation commonly used against government critics and journalists in Egypt.

He had since been detained for about three and a half years without trial - despite Egyptian law stating that pre-trial detention cannot exceed 24 months.

Several international human rights and press freedom advocates repeatedly called for Abdelaziz's release after he had been at risk of losing his eyesight due to medical negligence in detention.

The Egyptian government was at odds with Qatar, accusing it of backing "terrorist groups" - accusations denied by Doha.

Cairo and Doha resumed diplomatic relations in 2021 as part of a Saudi-sponsored reconciliation.

Rights groups have slammed Egypt over its poor human rights record, documenting thousands of violations against prisoners in detention centres.

Thousands of Egyptian political activists and opponents are said to languish in Egypt’s prisons, where torture, abuse, and neglect of basic needs such as medical care is common.