Vision of returning to Canada a free man keeps Mohamed Fahmy going

CAIRO — A Canadian journalist facing terror-related charges in Cairo says the thought of returning to Canada and starting his life afresh is what kept him going through his darkest days behind bars.

Mohamed Fahmy, who was released on bail last week after spending more than a year in prison, says his ordeal is far from over.

He continues to face a retrial and says he needs the Canadian government to push his case with Egypt.

The 40-year-old journalist tells The Canadian Press that his biggest hope for freedom remains a law that allows foreigners convicted or accused of crime in Egypt to be deported.

Fahmy’s Australian colleague was able to leave Egypt under that law earlier this month.

Fahmy was arrested in December 2013 while working for satellite news broadcaster Al Jazeera English.