海角大神

Three journalists accused of terrorism-related charges in Egypt,聽including Egyptian-born Canadian Mohamed Fahmy,聽were sentenced Saturday to three years in prison, to the dismay of their families and lawyers who were hopeful the trio would be released after an almost two-year ordeal.

鈥淭he sentence is clearly outrageous and it's almost impossible to describe how absurd the verdict is,鈥� says Gary Caroline, Mr. Fahmy鈥檚 lawyer in Canada. 鈥淭here has been no evidence of any crime having been committed, unless being a journalist is itself a crime in Egypt.鈥澛�

Fahmy, along with colleagues Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, were working for Al Jazeera when they were arrested in 2013 on charges of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Egyptian government considers a terrorist organization. They were also charged with spreading false news and operating without a license and were handed sentences ranging from seven to 10 years in a trial largely decried as a sham.

Mr. Greste was deported to Australia earlier this year, while his colleagues were being held in Egypt on bail during a retrial.

Mr. Caroline says they may not serve the whole three years but that will likely be determined in the coming weeks.

"One would expect that at a minimum the 411 days [they already spent in prison] would be deducted but really, truly there is nothing certain in this case or with the Egyptian judiciary.鈥�

Although he has lived in the Middle East for several years, Fahmy maintained roots in Canada, his sole country of citizenship after he relinquished his Egyptian citizenship. His family moved to Canada in 1991 when he was a teenager and his parents still live in Montreal, though they have been in Egypt during most of his trial.

鈥淸He] always had his foot grounded in both cultures and he had a lot of support during his detention from Canadians,鈥澛爃is brother Adel Fahmy said in an email earlier this year from Kuwait, where he is based.

In an interview with 海角大神 from Cairo late last month, when a verdict was originally expected, Mohamed Fahmy sounded cautiously hopeful.聽

鈥淚 have been dreaming literally of that day when I land back home in Canada,鈥� he said.聽鈥淓ven from the time when I was in my cell in solitary confinement in the terrorism wing with no lights 鈥� or way to tell time, my way of escapism in my mind was to just reminisce about simply walking in the park and just having that feeling of security and just being a free man in Canada.鈥�

Fahmy鈥檚 dreams of freedom will now have to wait. He was expecting to start in September as聽the Global Reporting Journalist in Residence at the University of British Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism聽in Vancouver.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a lot more than his detention,鈥� says Peter Klein, director of the program. 鈥淗e鈥檚 had a career in the Middle East with CNN and the [Los Angeles] Times and a whole bunch of other organizations, he鈥檚 written a book about being a translator in Iraq, so I think he鈥檚 got a lot to offer.鈥�

Fahmy, along with his wife, Marwa, also started the Fahmy Foundation, which supports free speech and campaigns for other journalists who have been imprisoned while doing their jobs.聽

His lawyers again called on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper today to speak to his Egyptian counterpart about Fahmy鈥檚 case.

Minister of state for foreign affairs Lynne Yelich released a statement saying, 鈥淐anada is disappointed with Mohamed Fahmy鈥檚 conviction today. This decision severely undermines confidence in the rule of law in Egypt.鈥�

Canada has been criticized for not acting fast enough on Fahmy鈥檚 behalf, in contrast to officials in the United States, Australia, and Britain, which were more vocal in condemning the trio's convictions.

Greste was deported to Australia in February, after Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott actively campaigned for his release by speaking with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi directly.聽

Prime Minister Harper said his government raised the issue 鈥渁t all levels鈥� with Egyptian officials but has refused to say whether he spoke directly with Mr. Sisi, a move Fahmy鈥檚 supporters have demanded for months.

Earlier this month, Fahmy told the Monitor that the support he received from Canadians made a 鈥渉uge impact鈥� as news reports and social media campaigns were translated into Arabic and made their way to the Egyptian press, grabbing the attention of the government there.

鈥淚 am proud and so humbled by the way Canadians from across the provinces supported me,鈥� he said. 鈥淐lose to 50,000 Canadians signed an Avaaz petition, and there鈥檚 been so much love on social media, I think that resonated very well for my cause.鈥�

(This story was updated to correct the title of the position that Mr. Fahmy was to start in September.)