Hedayat Abdel-Nabi, President of the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) for the protection of journalists, praised the efforts of Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi which led to the release of the Egyptian journalist Shaimaa Adel from a Sudanese prison. In a press statement from Geneva on July 16, she affirmed that the Egyptian President’s decision to return Shaimaa Adel to the homeland with him on the president’s plane emphasises his appreciation for the press and its role and for Egyptian citizenship. PEC’s chief said the Egyptian president allowed Shaimaa Adel to join his entourage of senior statesmen on the presidential airplane, which reflects Morsi’s character and his loyalty to his homeland and citizens. She further added that Shaimaa Adel’s return with President opens a new era between the press and the state where journalists reclaim their rightful place and status. Hedayat Abdel-Nabi also commended the role of Mamdouh Al-Wali, the head of the journalists union – affiliated with Islamists – for making the right moves for the release of Shaimaa Adel.
Shaimaa Adel, freed from a Sudan jail earlier on July 16, arrived in Addis Ababa the same morning, and was received by President Mohamed Morsi, and took breakfast with him, chatting amicably during the meeting. The freed journalist arrived in Ethiopia aboard a private jet which took her from Khartoum in the Sudan, after Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir decided to release her following talks yesterday with President Mohamed Morsi on the sidelines of the African summit.