Two Ontarians who spent seven weeks inside an Egyptian jail are finally allowed to come home, their lawyer confirms to CTV News.
Toronto filmmaker John Greyson and London, Ont., Dr. Tarek Loubani will be back in Canada tomorrow. They are expected to make a public statement to the media at the airport before leaving for home with their families.
Greyson and Loubani were detained in Cairo on August 16 after they became caught in the throes of a violent protest. Loubani has said he was helping injured protesters while Greyson was filming the scene.
In a statement the men released last month, Loubani and Greyson said they were beaten and arrested as they left the scene of the protest along with others. Though they were accused of attacking a police station with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, no official charges were laid.
They were held in what they described as squalid conditions without charges until their release on October 5. However, their case remained entangled in the bureaucratic process, preventing them from leaving Egypt until now.
The media have been in constant contact with the men’s family and colleagues, but on Wednesday, Loubani and Greyson uploaded a video to YouTube to personally thank their supporters.
"We're very touched and overwhelmed,” Greyson says in the video. “We're just getting the sense now of the incredible support that was there that came together from every corner -- Canadians, people around the world, people in Egypt -- to make this day possible.”
"Thank you so much for all of your help," Loubani adds.
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