Statement from NDP Leader Tom Mulcair on Mohamed Fahmy

Leader of the Official Opposition Tom Mulcair issued the following statement today regarding the retrial of Mohamed Fahmy:

“We are closely monitoring this week’s verdict in the Egyptian trial of Canadian citizen Mohamed Fahmy. In the interest of ensuring Mr. Fahmy’s prompt return, I call on Prime Minister Harper to seek a personal guarantee from President al-Sisi of Egypt to pardon Mr. Fahmy if he isn’t acquitted outright.

Mr. Fahmy should never have been convicted in Egypt for doing his job as a journalist. While other foreigners have been released to their home countries, Mr. Fahmy remains subject to an unacceptable retrial in Egypt.

On numerous occasions, New Democrats have called on the Prime Minister to personally intervene in this case. Yet Conservatives still refuse to answer even basic questions about when and how they were last in contact with the Egyptian government – the latest failure from a government that spent months denying its responsibility to give Mr. Fahmy a passport.

The Canadian government must take all necessary steps to urge Mr. Fahmy’s immediate release and enable him to return to Canada immediately following his retrial. “