Canadian officials ‘actively engaged’ in Mohamed Fahmy case, say feds

The Canadian government is insisting it is “actively engaged” in the case of Mohamed Fahmy, the Egyptian Canadian who was sentenced to a seven-year prison term by an Egyptian court last June, according to a letter obtained by Global News.

In the letter, written on Dec. 18 to Fahmy’s lawyers Amal Clooney and Mark Wassouf, Canada’s Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular) Lynne Yelich says, “Senior Canadian officials, including Minister Baird, myself and the Ambassador of Canada to Egypt, have been in regular contact with Egyptian officials on Mr. Fahmy’s situation. We will continue to pursue every opportunity to raise outstanding questions and concerns on his case and to advocate for his well-being.”

Fahmy has been appealing for help from the Canadian government ever since he was arrested last December along with two other Al-Jazeera journalists, charged with supporting the outlawed Muslim brotherhood and undermining Egyptian security.

Fahmy and his family are pinning their hopes on a recent decree from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, which stated that foreign prisoners can be deported to their home country.

In her letter to Fahmy’s lawyers, Minister Yelich says the Canadian government “has been vigourously seeking clarity from the Egyptian government in regard to the new presidential decree…..To date, the Egyptian government has been very responsive to hearing our concerns on Mr. Fahmy’s case.”

READ MORE: Mohamed Fahmy’s family ‘cautious and optimistic’ about talk of pardon

Yelich goes on to sound a hopeful note: “ We are committed to seeking more information with respect to the applicability of the law… We remain hopeful that the new decree will present a viable resolution for Mr. Fahmy, and will evaluate how best to support him should this law be applicable to his case.”

Fahmy is an Egyptian-Canadian dual citizen, who spent nine years in Canada before returning to Egypt to cover the unrest that led to the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The government that replaced him, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, was itself deposed by the Egyptian military in July 2013, and the new regime began targeting journalists. Fahmy says his trial was unfair, an assessment shared by Amnesty International, and he has been vocal in appealing for the Canadian government’s help to get him out of prison and back to Canada.

In July, Fahmy was admitted to hospital for surgery on his arm, to repair an injury he suffered before his arrest.

In her letter, Yelich says Fahmy has remained in hospital, not a jail cell, since that time. “Canadian officials are in regular contact with Mr. Fahmy at As-Salam International Hospital, where he has been receiving medical treatment since July 2014 for his pre-existing arm injury.”

Global News has contacted Fahmy’s lawyers for their reaction to the government letter. We have not received a response.