Jailed Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy says he strongly believes it’s only a matter of days before he’s on his way to Canada, in an interview with CTV’s Daniele Hamamdjian.
Hamamdjian said Fahmy didn’t seem to be bitter about his situation, and insisted he did not resent the Egyptian president.
“In fact, unlike many others, he refuses to call him a dictator,” Hamamdjian reported.
Fahmy also said he hopes Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will be able to announce his release during a press conference Thursday.
Baird is headed for Egypt, where he is expected to press the case. While he is scheduled to arrive in Egypt on Tuesday evening, Baird is not expected to meet with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry until Thursday.
The Egyptians will likely want to discuss a range of issues, from regional security to the threat posed by the militant group Islamic State, CTV’s Daniele Hamamdjian told Canada AM on Tuesday from Cairo.
Sources familiar with the case say “there is a realistic possibility” that Baird will be able to secure Fahmy’s release from jail and get him on a flight home to Canada.
A week ago, Fahmy’s fiancée, Marwa Omara, told The Canadian Press that the process for finalizing Fahmy’s deportation order was “in its final stages.”
Fahmy could be deported under a relatively recent law that allows for foreigners convicted of crimes in Egypt to be sent back to their home countries. Fahmy would have to agree to give up his Egyptian citizenship.
A press release from Baird’s office about his Egypt trip does not mention Fahmy by name. However, it does say that Baird intends to “discuss important consular issues” with his counterpart.
Baird has previously said that he has discussed Fahmy’s case with both Egypt’s foreign minister and the ambassador to Canada.
Fahmy and two of his colleagues from Al-Jazeera English -- Egyptian Baher Mohammed and Australian Peter Greste -- have been in an Egyptian prison since they were arrested in December, 2013.
The three men were convicted of terror-related charges for their work at the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, which Egypt accuses of being a mouthpiece for hardline Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terror organization last April.
The network denies the accusations, and lawyers for the three journalists say the men were arrested for merely doing their jobs.
Fahmy and Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison, while Mohammed received 10 years.
On New Year’s Day, a judge granted a retrial for the three men, but did not grant them bail.
While Greste may also be deported, Mohammed, an Egyptian citizen, would remain in the country and be retried.
With files from The Canadian Press
