Egypt’s Arbitrary Travel Ban on Researcher Ahmed Samir Santawy Must Be Revoked

Egypt imposes arbitrary travel ban on researcher Ahmed Samir Santawy

The Egyptian authorities have imposed a travel ban on Ahmed Samir Santawy, a former prisoner of conscience and researcher who is currently pursuing a master’s degree at a university in Vienna. Santawy was prevented from leaving Cairo International Airport this morning without any justification or judicial order. Amnesty International has condemned this act of repression by the Egyptian authorities and has called for the immediate revocation of all arbitrary travel bans against human rights defenders, civil society members, political opponents, and others who are being targeted solely for exercising their human rights.

Arbitrary travel bans undermine fundamental rights

Arbitrary travel bans not only violate the right to leave one’s own country but also undermine many other rights, including the right to education, family life, health, freedom of expression, and association. They have a detrimental impact on activists’ personal and professional lives and are intended to control independent voices, restrict their connections with the outside world, instill fear, and send a chilling message that dissent will not be tolerated.

Ahmed Samir Santawy’s ordeal

Ahmed Samir Santawy is a researcher and anthropology student at the Central European University in Vienna. He was arrested on 1 February 2021 for spreading “false news” critical of human rights violations in Egypt and the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. He was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison, following an unfair trial. After a global campaign, Santawy was released on 30 July 2022, following a presidential pardon. However, despite his release, he has been unable to enjoy his freedom fully, and his life has been severely disrupted by an arbitrary travel ban.

Santawy’s ban has resulted in him being unable to pursue his academic career and be with his partner in Belgium. He expressed his frustration to Amnesty International, saying, “I am not allowed to plan for my future because I don’t know if they will let me travel to start a Ph.D., for example.” Santawy’s ordeal is a reminder that despite the international community’s outrage and condemnation, there are still many human rights defenders and activists unjustly targeted and subjected to travel bans by the Egyptian authorities.

Egypt must respect fundamental rights

The international community must put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to stop this vindictive practice and respect the right to freedom of expression and movement. Egypt‘s government must immediately revoke all arbitrary travel bans against human rights defenders, civil society members, political opponents, and others targeted solely for peacefully exercising their human rights. As Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, states, “despite talk of reform with the long-awaited launch of the National Dialogue in May, this is yet another outrageous example of the Egyptian authorities’ acts of repression to silence and control critical voices and punish anyone standing up for human rights.”

Conclusion

Ahmed Samir Santawy’s arbitrary travel ban is a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights. It undermines his academic aspirations and prevents him from being with his loved ones. The Egyptian authorities must immediately revoke this ban and stop its unjust and illegal practice of restricting individuals’ movement without any due process. The international community should also continue to hold the Egyptian government accountable for its actions and put pressure on it to respect fundamental human rights.

Egyptian Travel Ban-Egypt,TravelBan,Researcher,AhmedSamirSantawy,Revocation