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Egypt Releases Al-Jazeera Journalist


Al-Jazeera journalists (left to right)) Baher Mohamed, Peter Greste, and Mohamed Fahmy stand behind bars in a court in Cairo in June 2014.
Al-Jazeera journalists (left to right)) Baher Mohamed, Peter Greste, and Mohamed Fahmy stand behind bars in a court in Cairo in June 2014.

Al-Jazeera reporter Peter Greste has boarded a plane to leave Egypt after his release from prison.

The Australian was arrested in December 2013 along with his two Al-Jazeera colleagues, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, on charges including spreading false news.

Al-Jazeera welcomed Greste's release on February 1 and said it "will not rest until Baher and Mohamed also regain their freedom."

Fahmy's fiancee was quoted as saying on February 1 that Fahmy's release from prison and deportation to Canada was "in its final stages."

Fahmy holds Egyptian-Canadian dual citizenship, while Mohamed is an Egyptian national.

Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to seven years, and Mohamed is serving 10.

They were accused of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood after the ouster of Islamist President Muhammad Morsi in 2013.

They denied the charges and have said their trial was a sham.

Based on reporting by Al-Jazeera, AP, Reuters, and BBC

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