Wife of prominent Yemeni politician pleads to stop his deportation from Egypt

The wife of a prominent Yemeni politician and government critic, who was briefly detained last week, has called on the Egyptian government to not deport him back to Yemen, where he risks prison or execution.

Speaking in front of Cairo Airport, Rahma al-Shuja, the wife of Adel al-Shuja, a senior member of the General People's Congress, appealed to the Egyptian army and the government to halt his planned deportation to Aden, the provisional seat of the Yemeni government.

Rahma al-Shuja said in a video published on Tuesday that Egyptian authorities had previously informed them that Adel al-Shuja would be deported to Spain, but “we were shocked to find out in the airport that they will deport him to Aden”.

Shuja, who is also a writer, is known for his criticism of the Yemeni government and regularly calls out corruption on his social media platforms. 

According to local media reports, there has been widespread solidarity for Shuja and pressure campaigns by activists and intellectuals to stop his deportation. 

Rahma al-Shuja called on international organisations and the Yemeni embassy to protect her husband.

“This is a crime to send him to the noose. We came to Egypt thinking we were under Egyptian protection and [President Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi and the people's protection. We left Sanaa because there's an execution order against my husband and we left Aden because he will be imprisoned. Please save us,” she said. 

Local media said Shuja has recently been critical of the Yemeni government and a controversial deal with  Emirati telecommunications company NX, which may have led to the deportation order.

Last week, Egyptian authorities raided Shuja's house and arrested him. He was released a few days later after outrage online.

Rahma Shuja has accused the Yemeni government of requesting his arrest and deportation.