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In a letter this weekend to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, copied to the government of Canada, Ms. Clooney requested a private meeting in Cairo, and asked for Mr. Fahmy’s “immediate” freedom.

“Despite clear assurances that he would be released, Mr. Fahmy remains in detention in Egypt. I therefore plan to visit Cairo in the near future to meet with Mr. Fahmy and to discuss the prospects for his release,” reads the letter, which describes his detention as “illegal.”

That request, which has been acknowledged by Egyptian authorities, sets up the glamorous image of a jet-setting celebrity human rights lawyer staring down the cold-eyed soldier who rules Egypt, all in defence of a captive Canadian journalist. It comes just a week after then-Foreign Minister John Baird said Mr. Fahmy’s release and deportation to Toronto was “imminent,” which turned out not to be the case.

“She is not hired because of her celebrity status,” Adel Fahmy said. Last month, she was refused a meeting with Mr. Baird to discuss the case. But there are signs she is a step ahead of Canadian authorities.

‘The Canadian government is not speaking to the right people, they are not being aggressive enough’

In a discussion this weekend with Ms. Clooney, Canada’s Ambassador to Egypt Troy Lulashnyk gave “100% assurances” that Mr. Fahmy’s deportation to Canada was imminent, “a matter of when, not yes or no,” Adel Fahmy said.

Ms. Clooney, however, told him “the Canadian government is not speaking to the right people, that they are not being aggressive enough.”