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Egypt frees long-held Al Jazeera journalist amid thaw with Qatar

The release of Hisham Abdelaziz comes as Egypt and Qatar are working to normalize their relations after years of tension, even as Cairo continues its crackdown on journalists.
 The Al Jazeera logo is seen in the new Al Jazeera America television broadcast studio on West 34th Street August 16, 2013 in New York as Paul Eedle (R), Deputy Launch Manager for Programing speaks to media during a tour. Al Jazeera America, which will launch on August 20, will have its headquarters in New York. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

Egyptian authorities released Al Jazeera journalist Hisham Abdelaziz, who had been held in pretrial detention for nearly four years, on Monday.

The Qatar-based Al Jazeera network announced the news of Abdelaziz’s release on its website. The journalist’s family also confirmed the release. His wife, Samira el-Taher, tweeted on Monday a picture of him, captioned “Hisham is on the ground, praise be to God.”

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