Mohamed Fahmy will not be joining UBC in the fall.
Fahmy, a Canadian journalist an author, was arrested at the Cairo Marriott Hotel in Egypt on charges of conspiring with and being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, who had been declared terrorists. Fahmy was arrested with colleague Baher Mohamed and Australian journalist Peter Greste.
While covering unrest in Egypt Fahmy had been working for CNN, then quit to become bureau chief for the news network Al-Jazeera English. Fahmy was accused of, among other things, fabricating news to falsely portray Egypt in a state of civil war to serve the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ending the 18 month legal saga was today's verdict, which announced that Fahmy would serve three years in prison.
The trial was a politicized one, said Fahmy in an interview with The Ubyssey in July. While Fahmy said that he was confident "the judge pretty much understands as well that we were not conspiring with the Muslim brotherhood ... me and my family [are] very worried knowing that the outcome of this trial will not only depend on evidence.”
According to Fahmy, the accusations that he was a member of or conspired with the Muslim brotherhood are "ridiculous."
According to the Globe and Mail Fahmy was sentenced with an additional six months of hard labour. The news comes as a shock to many, particularly those of the UBC community who were fighting to bring Fahmy home.
Peter Klein, outgoing director of the UBC journalism school and director of the Global Reporting Centre, collected the funds to have journalist in residence position for Fahmy when he returned from the trial in Cairo.
Fahmy was expected to speak with students about his experience at lectures and talks. It now seems as though that position will be vacant.