Cairo: Australian journalist Peter Greste, who has been jailed in Egypt for more than a year on terrorism-related charges, has got a presidential pardon, security sources said on Sunday, ending a case that has brought Egyptian authorities under international criticism.
“The journalist has been pardoned by the president and will be deported later today (Sunday),” a source told Gulf News on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. There was no official word.
The fate of Greste’s two co-defendants was not immediately clear.
Greste, Mohammad Fahmi, who holds dual Egyptian-Canadian citizenship, and Mohammad Baher, an Egyptian national were arrested in December 2013 allegedly for aiding the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false news about Egypt.
The trio, working for Al Jazeera, have pleaded not guilty.
Last month, Egypt’s top appeals court revoked jail terms against the three and ordered a retrial for them.
In June, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced the three to jail terms ranging from seven to 10 years on charges of aiding the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false news about Egypt.
The verdicts triggered an international outcry and raised concerns about freedom of expression in Egypt.
In November, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, who temporarily wields legislative authority, issued a presidential decree giving him the right to deport foreigners charged or convicted in Egypt to their home countries to be tried or serve sentences “when this best serves the public interest”.
