“I felt humbled and safe seeing the kind and heartfelt vibes from the police officers and security at the airport who were extremely hospitable and recognized my face despite my attempts to keep my arrival quiet”.
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“It was mind-boggling that the cab driver, passengers on the flight and strangers recognised me in the airport and knew the details of my story”.
“I like how he’s been so outspoken about how he felt betrayed by the Canadian government”, she said after hearing him speak.
Still, he expressed gratitude to the NDP leader and party for their support.
The former Al Jazeera bureau chief in Cairo has returned to Canada and is walking with his wife Marwa in the streets of Toronto.
“If we believe in a free press”, he said, “we need to defend it”.
He repeated his criticism of the Harper government for not doing enough to secure his freedom after he was arrested in 2013 with two colleagues on terror-related charges, saying that the Canadian government didn’t understand the urgency of his case.
The three Al Jazeera journalists had previously been sentenced to between seven and 10 years in jail on charges including spreading lies to help a “terrorist organization”, in reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
“In the Middle East right now, the political turmoil is intense and others could be in my situation”, he added.
He was released from prison in Egypt last month after he and his Egyptian co-defendant received a pardon. The third colleague, Australian Peter Greste, was released a year ago after former Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott personally intervened.
“Our prime minister delegated his responsibility to people who lacked the clout to really get me out of there”.
“Sitting in that prison cell, it was hard not to feel betrayed and abandoned by Prime Minister Harper”, he said Tuesday.
Fahmy said if that happened, he was “thankful” but he said Harper should have been “more transparent” about making such a call.
Fahmy has said he was not aware that Harper had called Sisi.
They were among 100 prisoners unexpectedly pardoned last month.
Fahmy’s return to Canada just a week ahead of a tightly-contested federal election due on October. 19 could prove embarrassing for Harper and his Conservative government, with the journalist meeting both of Harper’s main opponents to thank them for their support.
He also plans to take up a position as an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s school of journalism in Vancouver, and is writing a book about his experiences.
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“Canada has worked tirelessly, at the highest levels, on Mr. Fahmy’s behalf”, the statement reads.
