Montreal, October 7, 2013  — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) joins other voices across Canada in celebrating Saturday’s  release of John Greyson and Tarek Loubani from detention in Egypt.  However, CJPME urges Canadian MPs to investigate the Harper government’s muted response to the arbitrary detention and brutal assault of the two Canadians. 

Montreal, September 16, 2013  — CJPME strongly urges the Canadian government to take stronger measures to press Egypt to release two Canadians—Dr. Tarek Loubani and York University film professor John Greyson—after the prosecutor yesterday extended their detention another 15 days. Today, it was announced that the two men had begun a hunger strike to press for their release. On transit to Gaza, the two were arbitrarily arrested on August 16. Loubani was going to Gaza to train emergency room physicians, and Greyson to work on a documentary film. The Egyptian police have yet to offer any evidence of wrongdoing, and neither Loubani nor Greyson have been formally charged with any offence.

Montreal, August 20, 2013  — CJPME is calling for the immediate release of Tarek Loubani, an emergency room physician from London, and John Greyson, a Toronto-based filmmaker and a York University professor.  Both were arrested on Friday, August 16, after walking to a police station in Cairo to ask for directions to their hotel. CJPME is extremely concerned that Loubani and Greyson are still detained in at Tohra prison in Cairo four days later, with very limited consular access. 

Tarek Loubani, a doctor from London, and John Greyson, a filmmaker from Toronto have been jailed in Egypt for more than 40 days. Prime Minister Harper has still not intervened, even though the two innocent men have not been charged, yet have seen their detention repeatedly extended. It is feared that they could easily spend two years in jail.