Canada calls on Egypt to release nationals

OTTAWA - Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird called on Tuesday for the release of two prominent Canadians imprisoned in a Cairo jail for 25 days.

Filmmaker John Greyson and emergency room physician and university professor Dr. Tarek Loubani were arrested on August 16 in the Egyptian capital while they were en route to Gaza where Loubani planned to train emergency-room doctors and Greyson, who is also a film professor at Toronto's York University, accompanied him to research a film in the region.

Both men were accused - along with other foreign nationals including four siblings from Ireland - of aiding members of the Muslim Brotherhood in an attack on a police station and of possessing firearms and explosives, but have yet to be charged while they remain incarcerated.

Canadian officials and Greyson's sister Cecilia Greyson believe the Canadians were at the wrong place at the wrong time when the border to Gaza was closed and they reportedly went to a police station in Cairo asking for directions and got caught up in mass arrests of anti-government protesters.

Since then, the Canadian government has been working at "the highest levels to confirm the specific charges against them," Baird said in a statement issued jointly with Lynne Yelich, Canada's Minister of State for foreign and consular affairs. "As we have not yet received confirmation of the charges, Canada calls for their release."

Canadian consular officials have been regularly meeting with Greyson and Loubani, who are reportedly "not in bad shape", Cecilia Greyson told CBC News in Canada.

Their lawyer is scheduled to meet Wednesday with the Egyptian prosecutor handling their case.  

On Tuesday, their plight was also highlighted at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where a statement signed by 311 academics, filmmakers and artists, including Academy Award winning stars Ben Affleck, Frances McDormand, Charlize Theron, Julie Christie and Colin Firth, called for the immediate release of Greyson and Loubani.

"We are very, very worried about both of them," Canadian Oscar- nominated director Atom Egoyan said at a news conference in Toronto.

Over 110,000 people have signed an online petition at Change. org, calling for their release.

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper has also weighed in on the situation, saying last month that his government is "extremely concerned" about their safety.