Russian students to be deported out of Egypt

A total of 15 Russian students are to be deported from Egypt, according to Russian embassy officials. This follows mass arrests in Egyptian universities last Tuesday night.

The detainees are to be expelled for “violating local laws, including visa restrictions,” Bashir Malsagov, head of the embassy’s consultancy, told the media.

Meanwhile the embassy’s spokesman Andrey Nesterenko said the rest of those detained have been released on Monday.

“All the rest of the Russian citizens, 20 people all in all, will be able to stay in Egypt and go on with their education plans,” he told in an interview with Vesti 24 TV channel.

Egyptian authorities launched a crackdown in the region of Madinar-Nasr, where students of the religious Al-Azhar University live, and detained many of them. Among others, 37 Russians have been detained in the raid. Four of them were released shortly after, and a dozen more were set free after a thorough ID check.

Some local media speculated that the crackdown may have something to do with security concerns arising from the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama on June 4.