Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

The Arabic Network For Human Rights Information, ANHRI, expressed surprise and strong resentment to the stopping of the Palestinian – Norwegian activist Manal Tamraz from traveling to Norway . She was detained at Cairo airport the night before last for "national security" reasons.

Tamraz arrived at Cairo airport after a two week vacation on her way back to Norway via Amsterdam.

She was surprised to learn from the airport officers that she could not leave Egypt through any port.

Tamraz and her children , 13 and 15 years, did not get any answer to why they were detained.

Lately, Cairo airport security stopped the American blogger Travis Randall from entering Egypt for his stances supportive of the Palestinian case, a measure that ANHRI considers an abuse of law and an impairment to Egypt reputation. On the other hand , banning an activist from leaving Egypt is a full-fledged legal crime and a shameful political scandal as she is banned to leave because of supporting her people and no other accusation is against her.

Gamal Eid, ANHRI executive manager said ," it is a ridiculous and rather serious measure; the Egyptian security has facilitated the escape of Arab citizens accused of killing or causing deaths of Egyptians due to the connections of those offenders with the Gulf ruling families. Now an innocent citizen is stopped from traveling back home not because of a felony, but because of her solidarity with the Palestinian people to which she belongs. That is an incident more bitter than Marquez's novels".

ANHRI, as it strongly condemns such practices of the Egyptian security in treating citizens, asserts that this incident is a violation of Tamraz's right to express. ANHRI requests to allow her to leave immediately otherwise declaring the reason for banning her from travel.

ANHRI calls on all defenders of freedoms and supporters of the Palestinian tragedy to send faxes and mails and make phone calls to Egyptian embassies, the Egyptian foreign ministry and the Egyptian minister of interior to request allowing Manal Tamraz to travel or declare the reason for stopping her.

Relevant info:
Stopping an American blogger from entering Egypt because of his support to the Palestinian people.
http://www.anhri.net/en/reports/2009/pr0903-2.shtml