Stopping Bloggers at Cairo Airport : A Mounting Trend

The Arabic Network for human Rights information, ANHRI, stated that stopping bloggers at Cairo airport and seizing their belongings has grown to include the American blogger Travis Randall , owner of the blog Travis’ Place, http://travisrandall.blogspot.com.

Travis was stopped upon his arrival at Cairo Airport on the evening of 1/9/2009. The authorities informed him that he was banned from entering Egypt. He was detained till 2/9/2009 in the morning, forced to buy a ticket and put on a plane back to London.

The young American blogger who lived in Cairo for two years and took part in a peaceful march supporting the Palestinian case during Gaza war early this year , arrived to Cairo to visit his friends but to his surprise the authorities stopped him, seized his cell phone and laptop. He was detained at the airport, until he bought a ticket and flied back home.

ANHRI, stated that, “Assuming that the authorities have the right to stop the blogger from entering Egypt though he is accused of nothing, they have absolutely no right to seize his laptop and prevent him from making phone calls. This is an intolerable abuse.”

ANHRI also wonders and resents dismissing a foreign citizen and not allowing him to enter Egypt as a result of his solidarity with the Palestinian people in its ordeal under the brutal Israeli occupation, a stance that contradicts the Egyptian government claims of continued support of the Palestinian people.