Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday that he raised the cases of Canadians being detained in Egypt with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Reuters reports.
“We always stand up for Canadians in difficulty around the world”, Trudeau told a press briefing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he is attending an African Union summit.
“Yes I did bring up the consular cases in Egypt with President al-Sisi”, he added.
Canadian engineer Yasser Albaz was arrested at the Cairo airport by Egyptian authorities about a year ago towards the end of his business trip. He has not yet been charged and his family previously told Canadian media they were concerned about his safety.
The detained Canadian’s family said last year that his passport was confiscated when he attempted to board his flight to Canada and an Egyptian official told him that his name had been flagged for a probe.
Egypt has faced criticism for its human rights record, especially after mass arrests last year that came after rare protests against Sisi in Cairo and other cities in late September.
