OTTAWA – A government official says Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird doesn’t expect to immediately secure the release of imprisoned Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy when he visits Cairo on Thursday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says Baird will raise Fahmy’s case with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, and press for his release.
But the official, who is not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, says all those concerned with Fahmy’s fate should temper their expectations.
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Earlier this month, an Egyptian court ordered a retrial for Fahmy and his colleagues, Australian correspondent Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian producer, but a date has yet to be set.
The three Al-Jazeera English journalists were convicted last year of terror-related charges and sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison — charges all three men deny.
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Last week, The Canadian Press reported that Fahmy’s family expects him to be deported before a new trial takes place.
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