SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Canada calls for fair Egypt journo trial

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird says his Egyptian counterpart has assured him that a detained Canadian-Egyptian reporter is getting a fair trial.

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Canada has called for a "fair and expeditious" trial for a detained Canadian-Egyptian reporter, who is being held in Egypt along with Australian Peter Greste.

Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Greste are on trial with another detained journalist from the Doha-based Aljazeera English for alleged links to the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood movement.

"We made a request with respect to this individual getting a fair and expeditious trial and requested that humanitarian and medical needs be addressed," Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird told a Cairo new conference on Thursday.

Fahmy, who was the network's Cairo bureau chief, and his colleagues have been in detention for more than 100 days and during the trial he has pleaded for his release.

He has also complained of a shoulder injury he received before his arrest in December.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Baird said Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy had assured him of a fair trial.

The court is being "transparent and fair", the Egyptian foreign minister told the same news conference, adding that the journalist was being given medical treatment.

The Aljazeera trial, in which a total of 20 defendants stand accused has sparked an international outcry and fuelled fears of a media crackdown by the military-installed authorities.

The journalists are accused of spreading false news and supporting the Islamist movement of deposed president Mohamed Morsi.

Prosecutors insist that the Aljazeera journalists colluded with the Brotherhood, now designated a "terrorist" group, and falsely sought to portray Egypt in a state of "civil war".

Aljazeera English says the allegations against the reporters are absurd.

The Brotherhood is target of a brutal crackdown since Morsi was ousted by the army in July.

More than 1400 people, mostly Islamist supporters of Morsi, have been killed in the crackdown since July and thousands more arrested.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world