Mohamed Fahmy, one of two al-Jazeera journalists still imprisoned in Egypt, has taken an offer to renounce his Egyptian nationality for his freedom. The Egyptian authorities gave Fahmy the condition following the release and deportation of his Australian colleague, Peter Greste last week. Fahmy also holds a Canadian nationality.
Fahmy’s brother, Adel, stated that the decision was a ‘difficult’ one for the journalist to make.
“It was a very difficult decision. Mohamed is very proud and comes from a patriotic family of high ranking military and policemen that have defended this country and fought its wars.”
While Fahmy has an option from which to choose from, the fate of his Egyptian colleague Baher Mohamed remains unclear. Baher, still being held, has no other nationality.
The journalists were arrested by the Egyptian authorities in 2013 for secretly working for the, now, outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. All of them denied the charge, and so their employers – al-Jazzera.
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