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‘Media Is Our Last Line of Defence’: Mohamed Fahmy
‘Media Is Our Last Line of Defence’: Mohamed Fahmy
Newly pardoned journalist Mohamed Fahmy has ”many thank yous” for fellow Canadians who stood by him through his 411-day imprisonment and two-year legal battle in Egypt.
But though he’s grateful for the efforts of Canada’s ambassador and foreign minister on his behalf, the former Al Jazeera bureau chief said the federal government needs to more aggressively advocate for citizens jailed abroad.
”There are things that could be done to improve how the government in Canada dealt with my situation,” he said in a phone interview from Cairo on Friday, adding how, on return, he hopes to start a constructive debate on what Canada can learn from his case.
The Conservative government welcomed Fahmy’s pardon this week by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, along with that of fellow Al Jazeera staffer Baher Mohamed. The two had been sentenced to seven years in prison — convicted of offences including fabricating news and undermining national security in a trial that was widely denounced by human rights groups. In late August, their sentences were reduced to three years following an appeal. A third Al Jazeera staffer, Peter Greste, was earlier deported to Australia.
”Canada has consistently called at the highest level for Mr. Fahmy’s release and return to Canada,” said Lynne Yelich, Canada’s foreign affairs and consular Minister of State in a Sept. 23 statement. ”The Government of Canada will continue to provide Mr. Fahmy with consular assistance and will assist in facilitating his departure from Egypt.”
With a University of British Columbia journalism school job waiting for him, Fahmy said he is looking forward to starting ”a whole new life” in Vancouver. He’s also launched the Fahmy Foundation for a Free Press to advocate for journalists and bloggers jailed or persecuted overseas.
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Al Jazeera Journalist Mohamed Fahmy Should Be Released Not Retried in Egypt | Amal Clooney
Al Jazeera Journalist Mohamed Fahmy Should Be Released Not Retried in Egypt | Amal Clooney.
On 1 January 2015, the Egyptian Court of Cassation issued a ruling upholding the appeal filed by Mohamed Fahmy to overturn his conviction and 7-year sentence. In so doing, Egypt’s highest court has recognized that there were legal errors in the original trial. But instead of releasing Fahmy, the Court ordered a retrial and declined to grant him bail. The Court’s reasoning and the position of the prosecution on the re-trial are due to be published in the coming weeks.
Mr. Fahmy is a journalist who was convicted of reporting false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. These allegations are not true and were not backed by any evidence at trial. Mr. Fahmy has never supported the Brotherhood. There was no evidence presented at trial that showed that he ever fabricated a report or knowingly made a false statement. He is serving a draconian sentence for simply reporting the news.
A re-trial process is lengthy and its outcome is uncertain. It is also not clear how a new process would fix any of the deficiencies in the original trial. The charges themselves are a violation of the right to free expression under Egyptian and international law. There are no guarantees that a new panel of judges would respect due process or demand cogent evidence before concluding that a crime was committed. Fahmy cannot therefore count on the retrial process to offer a just or swift solution.
Mohamed Fahmy, Canadian Imprisoned In Egypt, Pleads For Harper’s Help
Mohamed Fahmy, Canadian Imprisoned In Egypt, Pleads For Harper’s Help.
Imprisoned Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to personally ask Egypt’s president to release him before an appeal court closes his chance at a retrial.
Fahmy, who made the comments in an exclusive interview with CBC’s the fifth estate, was arrested last December along with two other Al-Jazeera journalists. He was sentenced in June to seven years in prison on charges of undermining Egypt’s security and supporting the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. His appeal is scheduled for Jan. 1.
The interview marks the first time the Canadian-Egyptian dual citizen has spoken about his conviction and his belief that the Canadian government can do more.
“We are at the finish line, we’re two weeks away from the appeal and that phone call I desperately need from the Canadian government I need now,” Fahmy said.
Fahmy said the government should intervene because he is a Canadian citizen with no criminal record. “I’ve paid my taxes, I have a proven track record of 15 years of journalism and I’ve acted with complete decency throughout the whole trial,” he said.
