BLOGGER KAREEM AMER SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS

An Egyptian court has sentenced blogger Abdul Karim Soliman (Abdelkareem Soliman, "Kareem Amer") to four years' prison - three years for insulting Islam and inciting sedition, and one year for insulting President Hosni Mubarak.

BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6385849.stm

The Sandmonkey:
http://sandmonkey.org/
http://www.sandmonkey.org/2007/02/22/breaking-news-abdel-karim-gets-sentenced/

About Kareem Amer,
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareem_Amer

Free Kareem org:
http://www.freekareem.org/

Free Kareem Coalition
+1-617-661-0053
free.kareem@gmail.com
<mailto:free.kareem@gmail.com>


From the Free Kareem org ( http://www.freekareem.org/ ) website:

Interfaith Coalition Condemns Jailing of Egyptian Student over Blogposts, Calls on Egyptian President Mubarak to Pardon Abdelkareem Soliman


CAIRO – The "Free Kareem Coalition," an interfaith group of human rights activists from around the world, condemned the sentencing of Egyptian student Abdelkareem Soliman for expressing his opinion on his personal blog.

A judge in Egypt today sentenced Kareem to four years in prison for the alleged crimes of "defaming the President of Egypt" and "insulting Islam."

Dalia Ziada, a blogger and activist involved with the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, explained that Kareem’s conviction remains the first time an Egyptian blogger has been arrested for writing on his blog. "It sends a chilling message to bloggers of all persuasions in Egypt and across the Middle East. We are not free to express ourselves openly on our websites."

Kareem criticized Egyptian authorities for failing to protect the rights of religious minorities and women, and expressed views about religious extremism in strong terms.

Bahraini blogger Esra’a Al-Shafei, who launched the website FreeKareem.org to coordinate the international solidarity campaign, noted the basic human rights violation.
"I was offended by some of Kareem’s blog writings. But I cannot support his imprisonment merely because he said a few things that insult my identity. Freedom of expression and open exchange of ideas must be respected."

In November, Kareem was detained after being interrogated by prosecutors. He was held for over two months without trial and has remained in solitary confinement without access to his lawyers.

Kareem’s conviction comes despite global rallies on Kareem’s behalf, including demonstrations outside Egyptian embassies in Washington, Rome, London, Paris, Stockholm, and New York. Over 2,000 people have sent letters to Egyptian authorities demanding Kareem’s release.

Opinion editorials in the Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, and Beirut Daily Star have all also called for Kareem’s release, along with a bi-partisan coalition of US Congressional leaders, European parliamentarians, and Costa Rican representatives.

"We call on the appeals courts in Egypt to listen to international condemnation and do the right thing," stated organizer Mohammed Shouman. "Kareem’s right to free expression has been violated and his conviction should be overturned."

In the meantime, activists fear Kareem’s life is in danger and hope for high-level intervention. "We hope President Hosni Mubarak will pardon Kareem and allow him to start a new life outside of Egypt," noted Al-Shafei. "We won’t be silent until Kareem is safe."


See http://www2.blogger.com/www.FreeKareem.org <http://www.freekareem.org/> for the latest updates.


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If you want to vent locally, write to the local representative of the Egyptian regime here in the Bay Area.

Abderahman Salaheldin, Consul General of Egypt
The Egyptian Consulate General in San Francisco
3001 Pacific Ave.
San Francisco, California 94115
Tel. (415) 346-9700 / 346-9702 / 346-7352
Fax (415) 346-9480


Please point out to the honourable Mr. Salaheldin that pandering to the fragile egos of the honourable sheikhs of El Azhar and president Hosni Mubarak does not create a positive image for Egypt, Islam, or El Azhar University.
Phrase it politely, and send copies to your congress-leit and local newspapers.

It is probably also a good idea to write to Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Senator Feinstein
Hart Office Building
Room 331
Washington, D.C. 20510
PH: 202-224-3841
FX: 202-228-3954

OR:

Senator Feinstein
One Post Street,
Suite 2450
San Francisco CA 94104
PH: 415-393-0707
FX: 415-393-0710

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Please enlist friends and family in letter writing - the squeaky wheel does not always get the grease, but the wheel that does not squeak at all probably will not get any grease.