When Canadians John Greyson and Tarek Loubani were arrested in Cairo during some of Egypt’s bloodiest protests, it seemed only a matter of hours, or at the most days, before they would be released from jail.

However, more than seven weeks later, Greyson, a Toronto filmmaker, and Loubani, a London, Ont. emergency room doctor, still find themselves on a roller-coaster ride of turbulent international and internal manoeuvres that leave their fate up in the air.

In the past 48 hours they have been abruptly released from prison — but are barred from actually leaving Egypt.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry says the alleged criminal case against them is “ongoing.” Their relatives — and the Canadian government — say their departure is simply being held up by “bureaucratic complications.”

“They’re doing fine. They’re excited to be free and are just happy to be sleeping in beds, not on concrete,” said Greyson’s sister, Cecilia Greyson, who travelled to Toronto to await their return.

Loubani and Greyson were unexpectedly released in the early hours Sunday. After a short day of rest and recuperation they headed to Cairo’s airport, expecting to fly to Frankfurt, then on to Toronto. But they were turned back at the airport at the last minute. Their names, it seems, still appear on an Egyptian no-fly list.

Cecilia Greyson is not unduly worried by the apparent backtracking, and says that the men’s exit is a matter of “bureaucratic paperwork.”

“They were released unconditionally, and they have documents that prove it,” she told the Star Monday. “They are free citizens. Our understanding is that someone just needs to sign off on this.”

The timing of their release was complicated by a holiday weekend in Egypt and by a fresh outbreak of violence in Cairo on Sunday in which dozens died.

Adria Minsky, a spokesperson for Canada’s Consular Affairs Minister Lynne Yelich, said, “We are aware of possible bureaucratic complications but Canadian officials continue to work tirelessly to facilitate (their) departure from Egypt.”

The latest glitches have only added to the confusion that has prevailed since the two pair’s arrest Aug. 16 at the height of violent clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi.

They watched as their detention with charges was extended again and again. At one point, they started a hunger strike. In a statement smuggled from the jail about 10 days ago, they described said they had been beaten, humiliated, and thrown into an overcrowded, cockroach-infested cell as they faced accusations of being rioters and even foreign mercenaries.

On Monday, Loubani’s brother, Mohammed Loubani, told the Star that the two are “not under house arrest” but they “are not out of the woods yet.” Cecilia Greyson said they were safe under the eyes of Canadian consular officials.

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The men’s lawyer, Marwa Farouk, told the Star that the prosecutor’s office can lift the travel ban if evidence is insufficient to keep them in the country. If charges are laid, they could be tried in absentia.

“Their position is still being clarified. They have been released, which is a good thing, because it indicates that the case against them is weak.”

However, she cautioned, “they haven’t been acquitted yet. It is in the hands of the general prosecutor. We have appealed, asking for their acquittal and release from the travel ban, as there is no evidence against them, nothing against them.”

The case has become a fraught diplomatic incident that has threatened Canadian-Egyptian relations, with Ottawa officials including Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling for Greyson and Loubani’s release.

From Bali, Indonesia, where he was attending a summit Monday, Harper remarked on the pair’s inability to leave Egypt: “It’s now our view at the moment, based on what we know, that this is just a case of lack of clarity and co-ordination within the bureaucracy.”

Last month a Foreign Ministry spokesman told the Star that “evidence” against the two Canadians found by investigators included cameras, a memory stick with recorded imagery of the Cairo street clashes, and two small toy helicopters that Loubani had planned to use to transport medicine between hospital campuses in Gaza, where he was working on a project to teach medical students and upgrade its frayed medical system.

“From the start we knew there would be technicalities to deal with,” said Cecilia Greyson. “Their release from prison was much easier than this.”

Yassin Gaber is a Cairo-based journalist.

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