Al-Jazeera Fahmy: Lawyer Amal Clooney plans Egypt visit

The retrial of two al-Jazeera journalists detained in Egypt will begin on 12 February, judicial sources say.

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced to seven and 10 years respectively last June after being accused of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood group. A court ordered a retrial last month.

A decree issued by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi last November allows the deportation of foreign prisoners and a third journalist arrested with the two men, Peter Greste, was released and deported last week.

Mr Fahmy, who held dual Canadian and Egyptian citizenship, renounced his Egyptian nationality this week in an attempt to secure his release but his family say his case has "ground to a halt".

Now Mr Fahmy's high-profile lawyer, Amal Clooney, has written to Egypt's president, saying she plans to visit Cairo to discuss the case.

Orla Guerin reports.