Mohamed Fahmy must wait longer for a verdict on what most say are trumped up charges. We see Mr. Fahmy sitting in a winter coat with the white fleece collar turned up at his neck. He looks forlorn. His hair is salt-and-pepper hair is cut short and he has the hint of a beard. He is looking off into the distance with sad eyes.

Mohamed Fahmy was wait longer for a verdict on what most say are trumped up charges.
Photo Credit: cbc.ca

Another postponement in Fahmy verdict in Cairo

Egyptian authorities continue to put Mohamed Fahmy, the Canadian journalist facing widely-denounced terror-related charges in Cairo, through the legal ringer.

A Cairo court was expected to deliver a verdict on Mr. Fahmy’s case last Thursday. Instead, proceedings were adjourned until August 8.

On Sunday, authorities announced another postponement, to Aug. 29.

Mr. Fahmy spent over a year in prison before a successful appeal of an earlier conviction spawned a retrial and release on bail in February.

The case began in December 2013 when Mr. Fahmy, the acting bureau Al Jazeera English in Cairo, was arrested along with two colleagues, Australian correspondent Peter Greste and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed. They were charged with supporting the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and fabricating television footage to undermine Egypt’s national security. All denied the charges.

Human rights organizations around the world condemned the arrests, but in June, 2014 the three were convicted on terror-related charges and sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison.

Earlier this year, Mr. Fahmy and Mr. Mohammed were freed on bail to await a retrial with the proviso that they report to police every day. Mr. Greste was deported before proceedings could begin.

Mr. Fahmy gave up his Egyptian citizenship in hopes of being deported as well. That has yet to happen.

Mr. Fahmy’s parents moved to Canada from Egypt in 1991 when he was a child. He became a Canadian citizen with them.

He lived in Montreal and Vancouver for years before eventually moving abroad for work, which included covering stories for the New York Times and CNN.

Categories: Immigration & Refugees, International, Politics
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