Australian journalist Peter Greste will keep fighting to free his colleagues still jailed in Egypt, his family said on Monday, after he was released following more than 400 days in prison on charges of backing the Muslim Brotherhood. Greste, an award-winning correspondent for Al-Jazeera English television, flew to Cyprus with brother Michael after his release from Cairo’s Tora prison on Sunday , Egyptian officials told AFP.
Greste was detained with colleagues Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed in December 2013 for allegedly aiding the blacklisted Brotherhood. Their arrest sparked worldwide condemnation, with Washington and the United Nations leading calls for their release. Fahmy’s relatives expect him to also be deported under a decree passed by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that allows for the transfer of foreigners on trial. AFP His fiancee, Marwa Omara, told AFP in Cairo, “We are expecting Mohamed to be released in the coming days.”
Canada said Greste’s release was “positive” and that it remained “very hopeful” that Fahmy would also be freed soon. Greste’s family expressed their joy after speaking to Peter on the phone and vowed his colleagues still behind bars would not be forgotten.