Saturday, December 13, 2014

Egypt bans former US diplomat as nation continues crackdown on dissent

American scholar Michele Dunne en route to pro government conference appears on no-entry list and cites the irony on Twitter

The Guardian

Egypt protests
 A protester holds a placard reading “R4BIA” (L) and a poster of Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Photograph: Thomas Samson/AFP
Egypt denied entry to a prominent American scholar arriving at Cairo’s international airport Saturday, the latest incident in the country’s sweeping crackdown on dissent.
Michele Dunne, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former US diplomat, had accepted an invitation to speak at a conference organized by the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, made up primarily of former Egyptian diplomats.
In her work, Dunne is frequently critical of the Egyptian government.
From Frankfurt, Germany, she said on Twitter that some Egyptians complain she doesn’t pay enough attention to pro-government views. But “when I accept invite to (conference) of pro (government) group they deny me entry. Go figure.”
Airport authorities say Dunne’s name appeared on a no-entry list prepared by security officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
Last August Human Rights Watch executive director Ken Roth and regional director Sarah Leah Whitson were also denied entry to Egypt ahead of the publication of a report accusing the government of possible crimes against humanity.
Since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown last year, the Muslim Brotherhood group has been branded a terrorist organization. Its members have been imprisoned, detained and killed in a crackdown conducted under the banner of “combating terrorism.”
The crackdown has extended to liberal and leftist critics of the government. Over 20,000 people have been arrested since Morsi’s ouster last year.

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