Lawyers for Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian-Canadian journalist imprisoned in Cairo, have begun a new effort to win his freedom, filing an appeal for a hearing.
Earlier this year, Mr. Fahmy, 40, was found guilty of terrorism-related charges in a trial branded a sham by most international observers.
Mr. Fahmy was the Cairo bureau chief for Qatar-based satellite news broadcaster Al-Jazeera English when he and two Al-Jazeera colleagues were arrested on Dec. 29, 2013, at the Cairo Marriott hotel.
They had set up a temporary news bureau at the hotel to cover protests against the ouster of then-president Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate who had won a general election then been removed by the army after a year in power.
The journalists were accused of broadcasting “false news” and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which had been declared a terrorist group. It was alleged they had fabricated footage to undermine Egypt’s national security and to make it appear the country was facing civil war.
Mr. Fahmy was sentenced to seven years in prison. An Australian colleague, Peter Greste, received a similar sentence.
Another Al-Jazeera employee, Egyptian Baher Mohamed, was sentenced to 10 years.
The sentencing judge said the three journalists were brought together “by the devil” to destabilize the country.
Observers said the verdict was an attempt by the incoming Egyptian government to send a message to Qatar, which supports the Muslim Brotherhood.
Mr. Fahmy’s brother, Adel, said Mr. Fahmy had to be convinced to file the new appeal because he is still infuriated and frustrated by the verdict and did not want to go through the “circus” of another trial.
Mr. Fahmy’s family moved to Canada from Egypt in 1991 when he was a child. He became a Canadian citizen with them.
The Canadian government has been criticized for not doing more to secure Mr. Fahmy’s release from prison, but Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has said the government is simply working quietly liberate Mr. Fahmy.
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.