Deportation of jailed journalist anticipated
Family expects decision will be made soon
CAIRO — The family of a Canadian-Egyptian journalist imprisoned in Cairo for more than a year said Tuesday they have been told he is set to be deported soon and hope an upcoming visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will speed up the process.
Mohamed Fahmy is one of three Al-Jazeera English journalists who were convicted last year of terror-related charges and sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison.
Last week an Egyptian court ordered a retrial for Fahmy and his colleagues, Australian correspondent Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian producer, but a date has yet to be set.
Fahmy’s fiancée said the family hopes he will be deported before the new trial.
“We have submitted the deportation application and the Fahmy family met with a senior government official who confirmed the process is in its final stages,” Marwa Omara told The Canadian Press in an email sent from Cairo. “The Canadian government is following up with the Egyptians here and hopefully Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird’s visit next week can expedite the process.”
She said Fahmy’s lawyers, Amal Clooney and Lorne Waldman, have requested a meeting with Baird before the visit to “better understand the legalities of the transfer and the litigation expected upon Fahmy’s arrival.”
The case has sparked widespread condemnation from international rights groups and other media outlets, who say the journalists have been unjustly jailed for doing their job.
It is believed to stem from Egypt’s rivalry with Qatar, which funds Dohabased Al-Jazeera, and which was a close ally of ousted president Mohammed Morsi and his banned Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
In recent weeks Egypt and Qatar have moved to thaw relations, raising hopes the three journalists could be released.
In an opinion piece published Tuesday in the New York Times, Fahmy said the Al-Jazeera journalists have been “pawns in a geopolitical game that had nothing to do with our work as impartial professionals.”