For The First Time, Egyptian Security Intervenes In Private University Elections

For The First Time, Egyptian Security Intervenes In Private University Elections

Egyptian security services intervened for the first time in Student Union elections in Sinai Private University, as they removed the name of student Amr Salama, candidate for the student union at the Faculty of Information, from the candidate lists despite the fact that his papers were accepted and his name was included in the final list of candidates.


Student Amr Salama had introduced his nomination papers to the cultural committee in the Faculty of Information at Sinai University, and his papers were accepted and his name was included in the final list of candidates, so he was working on his propaganda campaign, till the day of election when he was surprised that his name was not included.


When Amr went to ask the Committee responsible of supervising the elections, he was told that the exclusion was due to security interventions, because of his blog.


The exclusion of Amr from the voting lists by the security services came to end the relative freedom which was given to private universities, as it was known that the grip of the security was confined to public universities, including the interference in appointing members of faculty teaching staff, and depriving students of general activities of the nomination in student union elections, so all Egyptian universities became under the control of the security services.


Gamal Eid, Executive Director of Arab Network for Human Rights Information, said in statements to Ikhwanweb, “It is clear that student bloggers have been added to the list of hated and prohibited students from nomination in student union elections by security decisions, and this is a logical behavior by the police services, but why do not the university administrations reject this police intervention in the affairs of the universities?”


The Legal Support Unit for freedom of opinion and expression decided to adopt Amr Salama cause to support him in having his right of nomination in student union elections, and to confront the police interventions in the affairs of universities and its violations of freedom of expression of students.