Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemned in a Sunday statement the detainment of Tunisian academic and writer Amal Garmi by Egyptian authorities.
The statement described the action as a violation of the freedom of expression as well as academic freedom.
“Detaining the academic Amal Grami at Cairo Airport and preventing her from entering Egypt to participate in academic conference is direct police interference in an academic matter and a violation of the right of freedom to expression and opinion,” the statement read.
ANHRI questioned how social studies and the humanities are a threat to national security resulting in the writer’s detainment. It further demanded Egyptian authorities declare why Grami was detained and stop security intervention in the academic matters.
Egyptian security officials confiscated Grami’s passport and detained her for more than 14 hours on Monday without providing a reason for her detainment. Over the course of her interrogation, security personnel told the academic that she was “a threat to national security”. Upon the conclusion of the interrogation, Grami decided to return Tunisia despite being permitted entry to Egypt.
Grami travelled to Egypt on Sunday after receiving an official invitation from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to give a presentation on her research methods in studying extremism and terrorism.
She is a professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in University of Manouba, Tunis. She has contributed opinions pieces to Al-Sharouk newspaper for the past three years regarding the revolution in Tunisia, the Arab Spring, political Isl
