Attempt to strip ElBaradei of his Egyptian nationality

An Egyptian activist has filed a lawsuit before the Administrative Court to strip Mohamed ElBaradei, the former interim Vice President, of his Egyptian nationality. Reports claim that plaintiff Mohammed Mahmoud, a tourism and media consultant, wants to prevent ElBaradei from leaving the country, place him on international “arrival warning” lists and strip him of his “Order of the Nile” award. The lawsuit apparently includes Interim President Adly Mansour, who accepted ElBaradei’s resignation following the security forces’ bloody crackdown on pro- democracy supporters.

According to Mahmoud, ElBaradei “cracked the national front”, and added legitimacy to claims that the dispersal of protesters in Rabaa Al-Adawiyya and Al-Nahda Squares by the security forces was unlawful. He also blames the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency of “causing the Organisation of African Unity to suspend Egypt’s membership”.

Many countries have severed their diplomatic relations with Egypt since ElBaradei’s resignation, claimed Mahmoud. “The Security Council viewed Egypt’s internal situation as a military coup where the state killed unarmed civilians,” he lamented.

The lawsuit is not the first to be issued against the Nobel Peace Laureate. A professor of criminal law accused ElBaradei of a “betrayal of trust”. That case is set to be heard at a Nasr City court on September 19.