Peter Greste, photographer of the children's classic "Owen and Mzee," is being held in solitary confinement as he and other Al-Jazeera journalists await trial in Cairo.

Right now, journalist Peter Greste is being held in solitary confinement in Cairo’s high-security Tora Prison, and could face another seven years behind bars. But ten years ago, he was documenting the unexpected love between a hippo named Owen and a tortoise named Mzee that would become a worldwide sensation. And for decades before that, he was taking in strays from the street and providing them with a good home—despite his parents' protestations.

 Since Dec. 29, the Australian-born Al-Jazeera reporter has been imprisoned in Egypt along with two colleagues on charges of broadcasting “misleading” news, aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, and tarnishing Egypt’s reputation. “It's a rap sheet that would be comically absurd if it wasn't so deadly serious,” Greste wrote in a letter from prison last month.

 Thursday marked the international day of action held in their honor, with activist groups from Amnesty International to Human Rights Watch lobbying for their release. In Australia, a rally called upon Prime Minister Tony Abbott to appeal to Egyptian leader Abdel Fatah el-Sisi for the journalists’ acquittal. Meanwhile, the White House has urged charges be dropped.

 Last week, 48-year-old Greste and his two colleagues, Mohamed Adel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, were held in a barred cage of a Cairo courtroom for their hearing, during which they pleaded not guilty and were denied bail. “It was shocking…how you expect animals to be treated,” his brother, Andrew, told reporters. The case, which includes some 20 journalists, will resume in court next week.

 Though foreign reporting has defined Greste’s career—including award-winning stints in some of the most dangerous war zones like Somalia, Afghanistan, and the Balkans—he’s also known for a heartwarming series of children’s books following an adorable interspecies relationship.
More