Egypt: Journalist Prevented from Traveling Abroad For Medical Treatment

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) expressed its resolute condemnation of the hostile acts perpetrated by the security services in Egypt and Algeria against journalists. Egyptian security prevented Khaled Hamza, editor of the “IkhwanWeb” website (http://www.ikhwanweb.com) from traveling, shortly after he had boarded a plane heading to England in order to receive medical treatment there. Algerian security forces denied Siham Benserdine, a Tunisian journalist and human rights activist, from entering Algeria to participate in monitoring media coverage during the elections scheduled for Thursday, April 9. She was visiting at the invitation of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights.

Preventing Khaled Hamza from traveling came without legal justification or judicial decision; it was an arbitrary and extralegal decision from the Ministry of Interior. Denying Siham Bensedrine entry to Algeria further confirmed the refusal of Algerian authorities to let this Tunisian journalist into their country, as she was previously denied in June 2008.

“Journalists and human rights activists are undesirables in this troubled region we call the Arab world. In spite of disagreements between Arab Interior Ministers on many issues, they all seem to agree on perpetrating hostile and obstructive acts against journalists and activists, and on denying them their right to movement or travel,” said the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. “These abuses should not be concealed any longer in secret files. The policing and restrictions upon activists” and journalists” right to movement between different Arab countries needs to be exposed and this is precisely what we intend to do,” The Arabic Network added.

Similar cases:

Siham Bensedrine:
http://anhri.net/ifex/alerts/tunisia/2008/0618.shtml

Gamal Eid
http://anhri.net/press/2008/pr1216.shtml

Karim al-Khaiwani
http://anhri.net/yemen/saf/2008/pr1130.shtml

Mohammed Abbou
http://anhri.net/tunisia/makal/2008/pr1210-3.shtml

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