Incident at Cairo International Airport
Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University, announced that he was barred from traveling abroad through Cairo International Airport. In a statement published on his Facebook account, Nafaa detailed the sequence of events that led to his return home without completing his journey. He stated that he arrived at the airport in the morning and successfully completed all travel formalities, obtaining his boarding pass. However, while waiting for passport inspection and stamping, security representatives approached him.
Nafaa explained that he was initially told the delay was due to a routine procedure necessitated by name similarities. After waiting for approximately one hour, a specialized employee confirmed that an official order prohibited his departure from the country. The officer apologized for the situation, and an assistant escorted him to the exit gate. Consequently, Nafaa was forced to return to his residence.
Concerns Regarding National Reputation
The professor described the incident as distressing not only on a personal level but also for its potential negative impact on the reputation of his country. He emphasized that this event is part of a broader pattern of restrictions he has faced, linking it to previous legal decisions. Nafaa noted that he has been attempting to renew his car license for nearly two years without success. He visited the traffic unit in Faiyum, Giza Governorate, where the director informed him of a block on the vehicle. Renewal required a letter confirming the lifting of this block, which had not been provided.
Legal Background and Administrative Errors
Nafaa connected these current obstacles to past legal rulings. He recalled being detained in September 2019 on political grounds, during which an order was issued to freeze his assets. He was released without trial in late March 2020. Subsequently, a court judgment canceled the freeze on his property and movable assets. Nafaa argued that the continued ban on his travel and the obstruction of his car license renewal lack a legal basis following this judicial decision.
He suggested that the persistence of these measures might result from procedural mistakes or administrative failures preventing the court ruling from reaching the relevant authorities. Nafaa called upon the Prosecutor General to intervene, verify the reasons behind the decisions, and correct any errors or administrative oversteps. He affirmed his readiness to submit documents proving the accuracy of his claims and urged adherence to principles of justice and fairness. No response was included from security or relevant authorities regarding Nafaa’s account of the travel ban or the vehicle restriction.
