Shawkan, who was working for Demotix at the time of his arrest, spent almost four years in pre-trial detention before his trial, along with 739 other defendants in what came to be known as the Rabaa Dispersal Case, began.
Shawkan, aliyekuwa akifanya kazi na Demotix wakati wa kukamatwa kwake, alitumia karibu miaka minne akiwa mahabusu kabla ya kuanza kusikilizwa kwa kesi yake akiwa na watuhumiwa wengine 739 wa shauri lililokuja kujulikana kama Kesi ya Mtawanyo wa Rabaa, kuanza.