Mohamed Fahmy | |
|---|---|
 Fahmy in 2015 | |
| Born | Mohamed Fadel Fahmy April 27, 1974 Cairo, Egypt |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, author |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Notable credit(s) | CNN Freedom Project "Death in the Desert" "Egyptian Freedom Story" "Marriott Cell" |
Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (Arabic: محمد فاضل فهمي pronounced [mæˈħæmmæd ˈfɑːdˤel ˈfæhmi]; born April 27, 1974) is an Egyptian-born Canadian journalist, war correspondent and author. He has worked extensively in the Middle East, North Africa, for CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera English.
Fahmy covered the Iraq War in 2003 for the Los Angeles Times and entered Iraq on the first day of the war from Kuwait. Upon completion of his one-year mission, he authored his first book, Baghdad Bound. Most recently, he covered the Arab Spring.
In September 2013, Fahmy accepted a new post as the Al Jazeera English International Bureau Chief based in Egypt. On 29 December 2013, he and two fellow Al Jazeera English journalists, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, were arrested by Egyptian authorities. On 23 June 2014, Fahmy was found guilty by a Cairo Criminal Court and sentenced to seven years of incarceration at the Tora Prison, a maximum-security prison.[1]
On 1 January 2015, the Egyptian Court of Appeals announced a retrial for Fahmy, Mohamed, and Greste. Release on bail was not allowed. Fahmy renounced his Egyptian citizenship on 3 February 2015.[2] to benefit from a presidential executive order allowing the deportation of foreign prisoners. His colleague Peter Greste was deported to Australia.[3]
On 12 February 2015, both Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were released on bail and referred to a six-month-long retrial.[4] On 29 August 2015, Fahmy, Mohamed, and Greste each received three-year sentences from the retrial judge.[5] Greste was sentenced in absentia.
On 23 September 2015, it was reported that Fahmy was pardoned by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.[6] In a BBC HARDtalk interview shortly after his release, he criticized Al Jazeera English's decision to take the Egyptian government to court for cancelling its network license.[7] He also confirmed that he is suing Al Jazeera English for "100 million dollars" for "damages."[7] President al-Sisi restored his Egyptian citizenship on June 10, 2016.
Fahmy started his new job as an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia upon winning his freedom and returning to Vancouver, Canada. He authored a book about his imprisonment in Egypt titled The Marriott Cell: An Epic Journey from Cairo's Scorpion prison to Freedom. The book was adapted into a screenplay written by Michael Bronner.
- ^ Rose, Aaron T. "Update: Harsh sentences for Al Jazeera journalists". Daily News Egypt.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
renouncewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Peter Greste arrives home in Australia after release from prison in Egypt". The Guardian. 4 February 2015.
- ^ "Al Jazeera trial: Egypt court frees journalists on bail". BBC.
- ^ cbc.ca: "Mohamed Fahmy, 2 other Al-Jazeera journalists sentenced to 3 years in prison", 29 Aug 2015
- ^ "Mohamed Fahmy, Canadian journalist, pardoned by Egyptian president". CBC.
- ^ a b "BBC News Channel – HARDtalk, Mohamed Fahmy".