Two Canadians who were held in an Egyptian prison for seven weeks have surfaced in a YouTube video to thank their supporters.
John Greyson, a Toronto filmmaker, and Tarek Loubani, a London, Ont. doctor, recorded a brief video message saying their ordeal is not yet over, but they are safe and thankful to be out of Cairoâs notorious Tora prison.
In the video, Greyson says he and Loubani are âvery touched and overwhelmedâ by the support theyâve received since their Aug. 16 arrest in Cairo. Itâs the first time theyâve been seen since their release.
âWeâre just getting the sense now of the incredible support that was there that came together from every corner -- Canadians, people around the world, people here in Egypt -- to make this day possible,â Greyson says.
The video was posted to YouTube by Greysonâs sister, Cecilia Greyson.
Cecilia told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel that the video was shot on Tuesday at a safe location in Cairo.
Greyson and Loubani, who were never charged with any crimes, were released from jail on the weekend but remain on a no-fly list. Cecilia said Canadian consular staff are trying to help the pair cut through the red tape and get on a flight as soon as possible.
âWeâre stuck a bit,â Greyson says in the video. âThe ordeal is not over, but for now we thought weâd say hi, peace.â
Loubani then adds: âThank you so much for all of your support. Thank you so much for all of your help. Thank you so much for everything that youâve done for us.â
Cecilia said the two men look much thinner after their ordeal, but they are healthy and happy.
She said they are âcompletely blown awayâ by the attention theyâve received in Canada and elsewhere.
âThey just didnât have a sense of how big this story had gotten,â she said.
Greyson and Loubani previously said that they were arrested when they stopped to help injured protesters at one of Cairoâs violent demonstrations. They were passing through Egypt on their way to Gaza at the time, but were accused of participating in the protests along with members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
