Yemeni Nobel laureate Tawakkul Karman denied Egypt entry

Sunday, Aug 04, 2013

Cairo: Egyptian authorities on Sunday barred Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman from entering the country, apparently over her criticism of the military for ousting Islamist president Mohammad Mursi.

Tawakkul, a pro-democracy activist, was denied entry into Egypt on orders from security agencies, according to the state Middle East News Agency.

Tawakkul had arrived at Cairo airport aboard a flight from the Yemeni capital Sanaa and was deported on the same plane. The news agency did not give a specific reason why she had been banned from Egypt.

Tawakkul, who was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, has repeatedly lashed out at Egypt’s military and expressed solidarity with Mursi’s supporters who have been protesting since his overthrow on July 3.

Mursi supporters said in a statement that Tawakkul had been due to make an appearance at a Cairo sit-in where backers of the deposed president have rallied for more than a month.

The Anti-Coup Alliance said Vice-President Mohammad Al Baradei, also a Nobel laureate, “is to be held responsible for banning activists and Nobel Prize winners from entering Egypt.”

They condemned the move as a violation of human rights and freedom of speech, which they say is evidence of the “police/military state” in Egypt.

Tawakkul was a leading figure during the 2011 youth uprising in Yemen that eventually forced out veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh, is the first Arab woman to win the Nobel peace prize.

Egypt’s interim leaders have said there is no turning back from the army-drafted roadmap that foresees new elections in 2014.

Intense diplomatic efforts are currently underway to find a peaceful solution to the political crisis.

By Ramadan Al Sherbini?Correspondent