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Peter Greste, the Al Jazeera journalist freed after 400 days in an Egyptian prison, has arrived back in his Australian homeland.
Greste called for the release of two colleagues still in custody after he arrived on Thursday in the Queensland state capital of Brisbane, where he was greeted by his family and supporters.
"If it's right for me to be free then it's right for all of us...I think that Egypt now has an opportunity to show that justice doesn't depend on your nationality," said Greste after embracing well-wishers on his arrival in Brisbane.
"If it's right for me to be free, it's right for everyone else that was imprisoned in our case to be free and it's right for all of those who were convicted to be free of those convictions."
Greste was deported by plane to Cyprus on Sunday. Two other Al Jazeera journalists, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed, are still imprisoned in Egypt.
The three were convicted in 2014 to seven years in prison on charges, including spreading lies to help a terrorist organization — a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood; Mohamed received an additional three years for a charge of weapons possession. Al Jazeera has always maintained the three men's innocence.
Greste said that his release is "a really big step forward" for Egypt and that he hopes the country "keeps going down this path" with regard to his colleagues.
Greste's release followed a growing chorus of worldwide condemnation over the detention of the three journalists.
Al Jazeera Media Network welcomed the move but demanded the release of Greste's colleagues.
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