A prominent Egyptian photojournalist has been released after five years in prison, pledging to continue working despite having to spend his nights at a local police station.

Mahmoud Abu Zaid, popularly known as Shawkan, was convicted of involvement in a 2013 sit-in protest by Islamists that was broken up by security forces in an operation that left hundreds dead.

Egypt, under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has launched an unprecedented assault on reporters and the media in recent years, imprisoning dozens and occasionally expelling some foreign journalists.