Deportation of imprisoned Canadian-Egyptian journalist in ‘final stages’: family

CAIRO — The family of a Canadian-Egyptian journalist imprisoned in Cairo says they have requested his deportation and were told by a senior official the process is in its “final stages.”

Canadian-Egyptian Mohammed Fahmy is one of three Al-Jazeera journalists who have been held for more than a year.

The 40-year-old was arrested on Dec. 29, 2013 along with Australian correspondent Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian producer.

The trio were accused of supporting the banned Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group of ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and fabricating footage to undermine Egypt’s national security, charges they have denied.

Fahmy and Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison and Mohammed got 10 years.

Last week a Cairo Court of Cassation ordered a retrial.

In November Egypt issued a new decree granting President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi the power to deport foreign defendants convicted or accused of crimes.