Egypt opposes renewal of politician's passport over 'lack of patriotism'

Egypt is seeking to block the renewal of the passport of a prominent opposition politician after a court tried to force the foreign ministry to renew it.

Ayman Nour, head of the liberal Ghad el-Thawra party and a leading opponent of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s rule, left the country for Lebanon in 2013 after the military coup that brought Sisi to power.

The Egyptian embassies in both Turkey and Lebanon have in recent months refused to renew Nour’s passport.

Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court in October ordered Nour’s passport to be renewed, after the politician brought a case against the foreign ministry.

However, on Sunday the State Lawsuits Authority, acting on behalf of the ministry, challenged the decision, arguing that there were "security reasons" preventing Nour’s passport from being renewed.

"Nour professes his hostility to Egypt," the SLA said in its deposition to court, adding that he "travels the world to turn states against Egypt, confirming his lack of patriotism and sense of belonging to his country of birth".

Nour has condemned the attempt to cancel his Egyptian passport, calling it "laughable" in statements on his official Twitter page.

The SLA’s case rests on Article 11 of Egypt’s 1959 passport law, which gives the interior minister the right to cancel a passport, or refuse to renew one, where there are “significant reasons” for doing so.

In his public statements, Nour has said that Article 11 was repealed in 2000 under former president Hosni Mubarak.

Citizens whose passports are confiscated are rendered effectively stateless, which is considered illegal under international law.