Nobel winner Tawakul Karman of Yemen denied entry to Egypt
Yemen’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tawakul Karman, was turned away at Cairo’s airport Sunday when she arrived with the intention of joining protests against the military coup that toppled President Mohamed Morsi.
According to various news accounts, Karman was sent back to the United Arab Emirates, where her flight to Egypt had originated. The Associated Press said the move by Egyptian authorities “underlined the government’s resolve in dealing with the protests — now in their second month.”
The BBC said that while Egyptian security officials did not say why Karman was denied entry to the country, “Mena state news agency referred to her ‘solidarity’ with supporters of the deposed Egyptian president.”
Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was ousted by the military on July 3 after massive demonstrations led by secular-leaning Egyptians. Morsi, an Islamist affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, has been held in detention ever since, and his supporters have been holding a sit-in at a Cairo mosque.
After arriving at the Cairo airport Sunday, Karman tweeted about her treatment:
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman was detained in #Cairo Airport without giving reasons. #Egypt— Tawakkol Karman (@TawakkolKarman) August 4, 2013
And:
After a one-hour detention, Tawakkol karman was denied entry to #Cairo by the Egyptian security and forced to... https://t.co/JyJjPq6oUN— Tawakkol Karman (@TawakkolKarman) August 4, 2013
The Dubai-based Gulf News said Karman “has repeatedly lashed out at Egypt’s military and expressed solidarity with Mursi’s supporters who have been protesting since his overthrow on July 3.”
The first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Karman played a key role in the “Arab Spring” uprising in Yemen that led to the overthrow of the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. The Nobel committee honored her that year, along with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”
ALSO:
Spain’s FC Barcelona starts two-day ‘peace tour’ in Middle East
Brazil court sentences 25 police officers in 1992 prison massacre
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe reelected; opponents cry foul
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
