Fahmy family launches #HarperCallEgypt campaign in advance of retrial
As Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed prepare for a retrial in Egypt, Fahmy’s family is asking Prime Minister Harper to intervene directly.
By Laura Tribe for Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
As Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed prepare for a retrial in Egypt, Fahmy’s family is asking Prime Minister Harper to intervene directly.
Yesterday Egypt announced that the retrial for detained journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed will commence this Thursday, February 12.[[{“fid”:”3693″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”link_text”:null,”attributes”:{“height”:”150″,”width”:”587″,”style”:”width: 400px; height: 102px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: right;”,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]
After the release of their Australian colleague, Peter Greste, the retrial announcement was a huge blow to the family of Mohamed Fahmy and those campaigning for his release.
Much of last week was spent anticipating Fahmy’s return to Canada, as former Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird noted that his release was ‘imminent,’ making it seem as though he would be spared the retrial process. After Fahmy revoked his Egyptian citizenship to allow for him to be deported under the same decree as Greste was released, it seemed as though the stage was set for him to return to Canada.
Unfortunately however, this does not appear to be the case. Fahmy’s family has called the retrial scenario their “worst nightmare,” and are calling on the Canadian government to intervene.
The family has launched the #HarperCallEgypt campaign, calling on Prime Minister Harper to intervene directly on behalf of Fahmy, in advance of the retrial.
A note from Mohamed Fahmy’s family:
For the next four days, we are having an impromptu “Harper Call Egypt” party in support of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy and we would love your support.
Mohamed Fahmy has been in detention for over 400 days in Egypt, and was recently hoping to be deported back to Canada. But with the announcement of a re-trial forFebruary 12, Mohamed’s family is extremely worried that any release could be delayed indefinitely.
We are asking people to tweet, send emails and faxes urging PM Harper to take action.
Please SHARE this widely with your friends, contacts and colleagues, and post a link to the web page on Facebook.
#HarperCallEgypt
This post originally appeared on Canadian Journalists for Free Expression’s website.
