After spending over 400 days in an Egyptian jail, Al-Jazeera journalist, Peter Greste, has returned to Brisbane, Australia, following his release from prison.
At a news conference, the journalist described his relief and praised the long campaign to free him and his colleagues.
Greste said, “I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to be here. This is a moment that I’ve rehearsed in my mind at least 400 times over 400 days.”
Mr Greste and two of his colleagues were arrested in 2013. They were convicted of spreading false news and aiding the banned Muslim brotherhood.
He had been sentenced to seven years on charges rejected by Al Jazeera that included aiding a terrorist group in a case that had attracted widespread attention and criticism of Egypt’s leadership and judiciary.
His colleagues, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, remain in prison.
Egypt’s President, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, issued a decree in November 2014 granting him the power to deport foreign defendants convicted or accused of crimes.
“If it’s right for me to be free then it’s right for all of us… I think that Egypt now has an opportunity to show that justice doesn’t depend on your nationality,” Greste said at a Brisbane news conference, flanked by members of his family.