Jailed Australian Al-Jazeera journalist seeks presidential deportation from Egypt
Announcement of retrial of Al-Jazeera journalists imprisoned in Egypt prompts lawyer for Peter Greste to apply to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi for his deportation
The lawyer for jailed Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste has formally applied to the Egyptian government for the Australian’s deportation, his family said on Friday, after Egypt’s highest court ordered a retrial for Greste and two colleagues.
Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed were sentenced a year ago to seven to 10 years on charges including spreading lies to helping a “terrorist organisation” – a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
The High Court in Cairo ordered the retrial on Thursday on the grounds of procedural flaws in the trial, defence lawyers said on Thursday.
The original trial had been condemned by human rights groups and Western governments and prompted the United Nations to question Egypt’s judicial independence.
The reporters’ imprisonment has been a thorny issue for Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi as he seeks to prove his commitment to democratic reforms.
“Now that Peter is essentially an innocent man, he’s not convicted any more, it does allow for some room to move and for him [Sisi] to step in ... and deport him,” Greste’s brother Andrew told reporters in Brisbane.