CAIRO: Ain Shams University student Magdy Abdel Rahman Youssef was prevented from taking his second exam on Wednesday — despite having a court order — as a penalty for distributing flyers on campus that called for political change and reform. On Sunday, the Administrative Court issued a verdict that allowed Youssef to take his exams — which began that very day — in spite of the penalty the university imposed upon him to prevent him from taking his exams for two subjects. “We will file a lawsuit against the university for refusing to execute a court order,” Ahmed Ezzat, lawyer for the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) representing Youssef, told Daily News Egypt. “If he's not allowed to take make-up exams in these two subjects, he will flunk them,” he added. “I have a court order that permits me to take my exam today, but two policemen standing at the examination room prevented me from entering,” Youssef, who is also a member of the April 6 Youth Movement, told Daily News Egypt.
Youssef was allowed briefly into the examination room before being taken to the vice dean of the faculty of science, who accused him of forging the court order.
“[She] specifically told me later that she would've allowed me to take the exam if she didn't get orders from the chief of police on campus to prevent me from [taking it],” Youssef said.
Officials at Ain Shams University could not be reached for comment by press time. Youssef attempted to enter the examination room again afterwards, but the police forcibly prevented him from doing so by shoving him onto the ground before taking him to the campus' head of police. “[Ain Shams University] is controlled by police, not by professors,” Ezzat said. “I feel that I've been subjected to grave injustice,” Youssef said. “But like I said before, if that's what it takes to defend [the April 6 Youth Movement's] principles and … cause, then so be it.”
