Canada urged to help family of ex-Mursi aide trapped in Egypt

By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Canadian wife and family of a
former aide to ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi are not
being allowed to leave Cairo and Ottawa should intervene in
their case, a family member said on Thursday.
Khaled al-Qazzaz, Mursi's former foreign affairs secretary,
was freed in January after spending 18 months in detention. His
wife Sarah Attia flew out to see him with their four children
shortly afterwards but is now stuck there.
Attia's brother Ahmad said Egyptian authorities had twice
stopped her at the airport as she tried to leave, had ordered
the closure of her bank accounts and would not extend her
visitor visa, leaving the family in legal limbo.
He also said al-Qazzaz needed surgery to treat injuries
suffered in detention.
"The safety of my sister, her husband and, most importantly,
her four children ... are seriously at risk. This is a Canadian
family being persecuted in Egypt," he told a news conference.
"I am here today to call on Egyptians for their goodwill and
to allow this family to return home ... and also to call on the
Canadian government to help with this ordeal and to speak with
the Egyptian government," he said.
Al-Qazzaz is a permanent resident of Canada but does not
have Canadian citizenship. A spokeswoman for the Canadian
foreign ministry said Ottawa was aware of the case.
"Canadian officials, including at the Embassy of Canada to
Egypt, have been following recent developments closely and
remain in regular contact with them," said Michelle Saucier,
declining to give any more details.
Al-Qazzaz was arrested in July 2013 along with Mursi when
the army removed the Muslim Brotherhood from power.
An official at the Egyptian embassy in Ottawa said the
mission was trying to ascertain why the family was having
difficulty leaving. He did not give more details.
In September, Egypt pardoned 100 prisoners, including
Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy.
On his return to Canada, Fahmy said he felt "betrayed and
abandoned" by the previous Conservative government, which he
said should have done more to press his case.
The Conservatives lost an election in October to the
Liberals.