Rabat – On Tuesday, May 31st, Egyptian authorities banned Moroccan filmmaker Chakir Khalifi from entering Egyptian territory without telling him the reason behind this decision.
The wife of this filmmaker, Egyptian national Shirin Talaat, told CNN Arabic that her husband was stopped at the Cairo airport. There, Egyptian authorities decided to deport him to his country, Morocco, despite his spending 12 years in Cairo with his family.
Talaat, also a filmmaker, added that her husband came to Egypt to spend the month of Ramadan with his family before he was surprised on Tuesday morning at the Cairo airport. Authorities told him that he is a persona non grata but refused to explain the cause for this travel sanction.
The Egyptian filmmaker, who has been married to Khalifi for over eight years, said that her husband was held at the airport until Wednesday, and that she was able to talk to him for only three minutes over the phone.
The same source said that Khalifi told his wife over the phone that he would be deported to Morocco on Thursday, despite providing all of the required documents including a visa to enter Egypt.
CNN Arabic said that Khalifi lived in Egypt for 12 years. He studied cinematography there and worked on several projects, including a documentary film for Aljazeera Documentary entitled “The Barber of the Square.” This film tells story of the bloody crackdown on the pro-Morsi protesters at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square.
The same source said that an MP for the Moroccan Justice and Development Party has contacted the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Salaheddine Mezouar to intervene and assist Khalifi, who simply aims to reunite with his family.
