(AFP Photo)
Security authorities at Cairo International Airport have banned revolutionary activist Asmaa Mahfouz from travelling, according to a statement by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening, as she was boarding on her way to Thai capital, Bangkok, Mahfouz was surprised to find a travel ban ordered by the prosecutor general against her at the airport. The statement reported that Mahfouz was previously unaware of the travel ban imposed upon her.
Mahfouz was kept for three hours inside the criminal investigation office at the airport until investigations could determine whether there were other lawsuits against her.
They found that there was a verdict issued against her after she was convicted of “beating up” a supporter of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, and sentenced to one year in absentia.
However, Mahfouz was later acquitted by the appeals court, the statement said.
ABHRI lawyers Gamal Sayed Abdel-Rady and Mohamed Farouk Saad presented a request before the prosecutor general, demanding an explanation of the reasons behind the travel ban. They are expected to receive a reply within 24 hours.
Mahfouz is one of the most prominent youth activists who called for the 25 January Revolution.
She was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought as a contributor to the Arab Spring.
