WATCH ABOVE: Interview with Mohamed Fahmy, who says he’s frustrated after his retrial was delayed again
CAIRO – The retrial of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy on terror-related charges in Egypt has been postponed again – this time to March 19.
The decision this morning followed a brief hearing in Cairo for Fahmy and his Al Jazeera English colleague, Egyptian producer Baher Mohammed.
READ MORE: Egypt postpones retrial of Mohamed Fahmy to March 8
They were freed on bail last month while awaiting trial, though they’ve had to check in with police daily. Their first hearing on Feb. 23 also was postponed.
The two, arrested in December 2013, are accused of being part of a terrorist group and airing falsified footage intended to damage Egypt’s national security.
“I’m pretty frustrated considering second hearing where witnesses don’t show up and so called evidence not brought in and my life is in legal limbo,” Fahmy said in an interview with Global News’ Lama Nicolas.
“We, as Canadians, need to realize if this sort of treatment is a precedent, tomorrow more innocent Canadians could be caught up in this political turmoil in the Middle East, if our government presents this mild rhetoric and it’s viewed in that sense, it’s not good for all of us.”
Al-Jazeera is based in Qatar, a main backer of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
The first trial was widely criticized by human rights organizations, and a new trial was ordered after Fahmy, Mohammed, and another Al Jazeera journalist, Australian Peter Greste, had spent more than 400 days in prison.
Greste, however, was deported in February.
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