London: Egypt has barred the executive director of Human Rights Watch and another senior staff member from entering the country.
Kenneth Roth and Sarah Leah Whitson were in Cairo to launch a report by the group on mass killings that took place during protests against the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi last year, the BBC reports.
Hundreds of protestors were killed on 14 August 2013 after security forces cracked down on pro-Morsi demonstrators.
The pair was first detained by officials for 12 hours on their arrival at the Cairo International Airport, after which, they were put on planes out of the country.
Whitson, the head of HRW`s Middle East and North Africa division, said Egyptian officials told her they were being deported for security reasons, the report said.
HRW, in a statement, said that it was the first time that Egyptian authorities had denied its staff members entry to the country.
The group said its report, due to be released on Tuesday, documents how Egyptian police and army methodically opened fire with live ammunition on crowds of demonstrators following Morsi`s ousting.
