Notable secular opposition figure and former presidential candidate Ayman Nour has announced that he is leaving Beirut, where he has lived for two years, after Egyptian authorities refused to renew his passport. Nour made the announcement via his Twitter page, where he also said that the Lebanese authorities told him that his life was in danger, and that he will be going to Europe via Turkey. Nour has filed a case at the State Council’s administrative court against the Egyptian ambassadors in Turkey and Lebanon, as well as the interior minister and the prime minister, urging them to cancel their decision to not renew his passport. He submitted his request to renew his passport on April 15, and it was rejected at the Egyptian embassy in Beirut on May 2. According to Nour, the authorities told him that they did not renew his passport, as he was wanted in Egypt for security reasons. His case has been postponed from July 1 to August 25. Nour founded the liberal secular El-Ghad party in 2004, and was the only figure to run against deposed President Hosni Mubarak in the 2005 elections. After…
Secular Opposition Figure Ayman Nour Denied Passport Renewal by Egyptian Authorities
July 9, 2015
