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Fahmy verdict delayed

Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy must wait at least another week to learn his fate after a verdict he anxiously expected today at his re-trial in Cairo was suddenly postponed until Aug. 8.

Fahmy, who faced widely denounced terror charges and had spent more than a year in prison before a successful appeal of an earlier conviction, told The Canadian Press that no reason was given for the surprise postponement.

"We were standing outside the court with the press corps surrounding us ... and suddenly we were just escorted away from the vicinity of the area and we were left there with no information at all."

Fahmy said there was speculation that the delay could be tied to the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt on Aug. 6 or because the judge in the case was ill.

"They don't want any publicity before that very big day in Egypt," Fahmy said. "Others are saying the judge is sick. We don't know what's happening. It's very insulting."

However, Egyptian judicial officials who spoke to The Associated Press said the verdict has been postponed because the judge Hassan Farid is ill. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to talk to reporters.

"It's incredible the way this has been handled," added Fahmy. "I would have hoped for at least an official statement or announcement from the government."

The 41-year-old journalist also said that he and his fiancee, Marwa Omara, announced their marriage to the reporters gathered outside the court and showed off their wedding rings.

"We got married this week and we couldn't celebrate because we were very anxious," he said. "I wanted to complete the marriage before the verdict because if we were married, Marwa could easily visit me in prison and get more visitation hours."

Fahmy said his new bride has received a temporary visa to Canada and they were planning on "jumping on a plane to Vancouver as soon as this ordeal is over."

But said Fahmy: "The verdict is a week away, we just have to wait again. More waiting, what do we do?"

Fahmy's troubles began in December 2013 when he was working as the Cairo bureau chief for Qatar-based satellite news broadcaster Al Jazeera English.

He and two colleagues were abruptly arrested and charged with a slew of offences, including supporting the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, a banned organization affiliated with ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, and with fabricating footage to undermine the country's national security.

The trio maintained their innocence throughout, saying they were just doing their jobs, but after a trial which was internationally decried as a sham, they were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms.

One of the three men — Australian Peter Greste — was suddenly allowed to leave Egypt before their retrial began, under a law which allows for the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes.

Fahmy gave up his dual Egyptian citizenship while behind bars in the hopes that he could follow the same path, but that didn't happen. He was, however, granted bail in February shortly after his second trial got underway.

Fahmy moved to Canada with his family in 1991, living in Montreal and Vancouver for years before eventually moving abroad for work, which included covering stories for the New York Times and CNN.



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