A New Cairo prosecution released photographer Ahmed Ramadan on bail late Monday, after a former work colleague had instigated his arrest by telling the police he belonged to a terrorist organisation.
Ramadan, who works as a photographer for the private Tahrir newspaper, was arrested at the Police Academy Court on Sunday and accused of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and entering the court without a permit.
During his questioning, the photographer denied that he was a member of the Brotherhood and showed the prosecution that he had the necessary permits to enter the court. He was released but investigations into the accusation are still ongoing.
Ramadan was arrested while covering former president Mohamed Morsi’s espionage trial at the Police Academy Court in New Cairo.
He was reported to security by a video journalist, Amani El-Akhras from the private Youm7 newspaper who was also attending the court session, said his colleagues who witnessed the incident.
El-Akhras, who Ramadan worked with at Youm7 before moving to Tahrir, allegedly told the security at the Police Academy that Ramadan was a member of the banned Brotherhood and that he entered the court without a permit.
The Muslim Brotherhood, from which ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi hails, was designated as a terrorist organisation in Egypt by the government in December 2013.
The accusations from El-Akhras led the Journalists' Syndicate in Cairo to issue a decision to ban her from entering the building of the syndicate starting Monday.
The video journalist was also slammed on social media by her colleagues for reporting Ramadan.
Tens of journalists and photojournalists held a protest at the Journalists' Syndicate on Monday in solidarity with Ramadan, who was released hours later.
Protesters also called for the release of freelance photographer Mahmoud Abu-Zeid "Shawkan" who has been in detention pending investigation since the violent dispersal of Rabaa sit-in where he was arrested two years ago.
