By Canadian Press

Trudeau says he pressed Egypt’s president on detained Canadians

Feb 9, 2020 | 7:58 AM

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he raised the cases of Canadian citizens detained in Egypt with that country’s president at a summit of African leaders.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is concluding a term as chair of the African Union and is a former general who took power in Egypt in a coup in 2013.

A year ago, Egyptian authorities arrested Canadian engineer Yasser Albaz at the Cairo airport as he was leaving at the end of a business trip and have held him since, without any public charges.

Amnesty International has cited Egypt under el-Sisi for arbitrary detentions, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

Trudeau is in Africa seeking support for Canada to get a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

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In a news conference at the end of the African Union summit, he said promoting human rights comes up in everything he does there.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2020.

The Canadian Press