A Canadian journalist on trial in Egypt on broadly-denounced terror charges says he feels incredibly relieved after being handed a temporary Canadian passport in Cairo today.
Mohamed Fahmy had been trying to get a new passport ever since his release on bail in February.
He found out earlier this week that the federal government had decided to grant him one — reversing their initial position on the matter.
Fahmy says the Canadian ambassador in Cairo handed him the temporary passport this morning, before a new session of his trial began.
The document is valid for a year and Fahmy says his permanent passport is currently being processed.
The 40-year-old spent more than a year in an Egyptian prison after being arrested with two colleagues while working for satellite news broadcaster Al Jazeera English.
He is currently undergoing his second trial after a successful appeal of his earlier convictions.
Wednesday's session included testimony from a prominent Egyptian businessman who owns one of the largest private television stations in Egypt.
Fahmy said Naguib Sawiris testified that Fahmy was not a member of the banned Muslim Brotherhood — something he has been accused of at trial.
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