Canadian Journalist Jailed by Egyptian Court
An Egyptian court sentenced Mohamed Fahmy to three years in prison after finding him guilty of crimes related to his work as an Al-Jazeera journalist.
The trial, highly-publicized and widely denounced by the human rights and freedom of press global communities, has been a long road for Fahmy and his family. Fahmy was initially arrested in 2013 on charges of allegedly having ties with a terrorist group, and reporting “false news” on the Al-Jazeera network.
Fahmy had originally been sentenced to seven years in prison for those charges but had recently won an appeal and was granted a retrial. He was found guilty again in that trial and given a three year sentence.
Following the court’s verdict, Fahmy’s wife, Marwa, wept openly and appealed to Prime Minister Harper to intervene. "What I'm asking for right now is Mr. Harper to interfere," she said. "It's time for him to prove that he can help and support a Canadian citizen" that he knows is innocent.
Canada's ambassador to Egypt Troy Lulashnyk was present at the trial. "Obviously Canada is deeply disappointed in the outcome of this process,” he stated
Lulashnyk also said that Canada has petitioned for Fahmy’s release and will be following up with the Egyptian government on the matter. He also confirmed that Canada will continue to provide Fahmy with consular services and support.
Fahmy’s family hopes that he will receive the same treatment as another journalist who had recently been convicted and deported to his home country, Australia. "We're done [with]... relying on or putting any hope on the judicial process, because it is very obvious that it is meaningless," Fahmy’s brother, Adel, told CBC News.
Image Courtesy of Adobe Stock
.