Deportation Sought for Jailed Australian Journalist in Egypt
by VOA News
The family of an Australian journalist imprisoned in Egypt says his lawyers have applied to have him deported.
The deportation move follows a decision by an Egyptian court Thursday ordering the re-trial of the al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste and his two colleagues, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed.
The brothers of Greste said Friday in Australia that they have pinned their hopes for their brother's return to Australia on a recent decree by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi giving him the power to deport foreign crime suspects.
"Now that Peter is essentially an innocent man, he's not a convict anymore, it does allow for some room to move and for steps to be taken for him (Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi) to step in and enact his presidential powers and deport him," said Andrew Greste, Peter’s brother.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed the deportation route for Greste is being pursued.
"They did change the law recently and that enables there to be a kind of prisoner transfer or an accused person can be transferred back to another country, their home country and we're pursuing all those opportunities now," said Bishop.
The court of Cassation in Cairo has not set a date for the re-trial of the men.
The journalists were arrested in December 2013 at a Cairo hotel where they were working. In July, a court convicted them of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood, and gave Greste and Fahmy seven-year sentences and a 10 year sentence to Mohamed.
An al-Jazeera spokesman said Egyptian authorities should quickly free the journalists rather than "continuing this injustice and harming the image of their own country in the eyes of the world."
The network has insisted the three were doing their jobs reporting the news, not aiding the Brotherhood and ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
http://www.voanews.com/content/deportation-sought-for-jailed-australian-journalist-in-egypt/2582872.html
The family of an Australian journalist imprisoned in Egypt says his lawyers have applied to have him deported.
The deportation move follows a decision by an Egyptian court Thursday ordering the re-trial of the al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste and his two colleagues, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed.
The brothers of Greste said Friday in Australia that they have pinned their hopes for their brother's return to Australia on a recent decree by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi giving him the power to deport foreign crime suspects.
"Now that Peter is essentially an innocent man, he's not a convict anymore, it does allow for some room to move and for steps to be taken for him (Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi) to step in and enact his presidential powers and deport him," said Andrew Greste, Peter’s brother.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed the deportation route for Greste is being pursued.
"They did change the law recently and that enables there to be a kind of prisoner transfer or an accused person can be transferred back to another country, their home country and we're pursuing all those opportunities now," said Bishop.
The court of Cassation in Cairo has not set a date for the re-trial of the men.
The journalists were arrested in December 2013 at a Cairo hotel where they were working. In July, a court convicted them of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood, and gave Greste and Fahmy seven-year sentences and a 10 year sentence to Mohamed.
An al-Jazeera spokesman said Egyptian authorities should quickly free the journalists rather than "continuing this injustice and harming the image of their own country in the eyes of the world."
The network has insisted the three were doing their jobs reporting the news, not aiding the Brotherhood and ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
http://www.voanews.com/content/deportation-sought-for-jailed-australian-journalist-in-egypt/2582872.html
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