Andrew Greste had on Sunday urged caution following speculation that a release was imminent. Australian a-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste has been deported to Australia. Credit:AFP A security official told Reuters that al-Jazeera's Canadian-Egyptian bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy would be released "within days". The official said paperwork that would allow Mr Fahmy to be deported to Canada was being finalised. Mr Greste and Mr Fahmy, along with al-Jazeera producer Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian, were jailed following a trial that was widely criticised as a farce by legal experts and human rights commentators alike. There is no word yet on the fate of Mohamed.

Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop says she spoke to Greste shortly after his release and he is desperate to come home. Ms Bishop also thanked a number of other governments around the world who had supported his cause and, at Australia's request, made representations on his behalf to the Egyptian government. "I personally spoke with the foreign minister in Egypt and made a number of representations, oral and in writing, and spoke to President [Abdel Fattah] al-Sisi," she said. Despite an astounding lack of evidence presented to the court and their consistent denial of the charges, Greste and Fahmy were sentenced in June 2014 to seven years in prison. They had been found guilty of aiding a terrorist organisation, belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood opposition group, and making false news that damaged Egypt's international reputation. Mohamed was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

In November Egypt's President issued a presidential decree that allowed him to deport foreigners charged with criminal offences – a process that was able assist Greste and possibly Fahmy but leave their Egyptian colleague stuck in prison. Egypt's Court of Cassation – their only avenue for an appeal – ordered a retrial of the three journalists on January 1 but did not grant bail. At that point they had just passed their one-year anniversary in prison. Facing a retrial and with no guarantee of bail, Greste and Fahmy formally applied to be deported via a presidential decree. The court's decision to order a retrial meant their convictions and sentences had been lifted, meaning the journalists reverted to the status of prisoners charged and awaiting trial. This, legal experts say, made their potential release and deportation a "cleaner" operation. Mr al-Sisi said that, had he been in power when the al-Jazeera crew were arrested, he would have preferred they had been deported rather than face a trial.

The three al-Jazeera journalists were among at least 16 journalists imprisoned in Egypt, along with at least 16,000 political prisoners including activists, students, unionists, academics and lawyers, although human rights groups warn that figure could be as high as 40,000. The three have campaigned tirelessly for media freedom during their time in prison, as have their families who have criss-crossed the globe to raise awareness about press freedom, journalism and democracy. "We – and by that I mean all involved in this fight for justice, including us three, our families, and you, our supporters – have created a huge global awareness of not just our cause, but the far wider and more vital issues of press freedom, the persecution of journalists, and of justice in Egypt," Greste wrote from prison in a letter released in December. "But, even more than that, we have reignited public discussion and awareness of the vital role that unfettered journalism plays in any healthy, functioning democracy. Never has cleared-eyed, critical, sceptical journalism been more necessary to help make sense of a world overloaded with information." Al-Jazeera insists that Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed, along with its other journalists tried in absentia, must be exonerated.

"We're pleased for Peter and his family that they are to be reunited," said Mostefa Souag, acting director-general of al-Jazeera Media Network. "It has been an incredible and unjustifiable ordeal for them, and they have coped with incredible dignity. Peter's integrity is not just intact, but has been further enhanced by the fortitude and sacrifice he has shown for his profession of informing the public." But he said the network "will not rest until Baher and Mohamed also regain their freedom. The Egyptian authorities have it in their power to finish this properly today, and that is exactly what they must do." The federal opposition said Australians shared the relief of the Greste family and praised diplomats who worked on the case. "Journalists shouldn't be put on trial or locked up for doing their job," Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said in a joint statement.

"We continue to urge for the release of Peter's two colleagues, Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy." - with AAP