The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression filed a grievance to Public Prosecutor “Hamada Elsawy”, urging to remove the academic researcher Waleed Salem’s name from the travel ban list, the grievance held No. 35309 of 2021.
This started when “Salem” headed to the second time to Cairo Airport to travel abroad to France on May 24, 2021, but the security authorities of the airport stopped him and searched his bags, and he was informed that his name was added to the travel ban list upon a decision issued by the Public Prosecutor on the previous day before his travel May 23, 2021, without providing clear legal reasons or a specific period of the travel ban.
He was also subjected to a travel ban for the first time on May 8, 2020, by the security authorities of Cairo Airport while attempting to travel to the USA, where he lived for 12 years, his bags were searched and his passport was confiscated.
According to Waleed Salem’s lawyer, the decision to add his name to the travel ban list occurred against the background of Case No. 441 of 2018, in which he was detained for almost 6 months, as he was arrested on May 23, 2018, after meeting with a professor, through his work on his doctoral research on the history of the Egyptian judiciary, Salem appeared before the State Security Prosecution which charged him with spreading false news and joining a terrorist group.
That and on December 3, 2018, a decision to release him with precautionary measures was issued, later on, the Supreme State Security Prosecution annulled the precautionary measures that were imposed on him and released him with the guarantee of his place of residence on February 22, 2020, confirming that no judicial verdict was issued to convict him, and benefits from the presumption of innocence.
AFTE has previously urged to allow researcher “Waleed Salem” to travel to the USA to resume his studies at the University of Washington and stop the unjustified abuse practiced by the Egyptian authorities against him by removing his name from the travel ban lists for the first and second time he was arrested by Airport authorities and prevented from traveling.
