Cairo – 7 December 2006,

Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) and Egyptian Observatory for Justice and Law (EOJL) call upon civil society and public opinion to support the opinion prisoner; Kareem Amer, who is imprisoned in Al-Hadra prison of Alexandria for some false charges. The real reason of his imprisonment is that he expressed his anti-governmental and anti-Islamic views on his own online articles.

Three lawyers from HRinfo and EOJL went yesterday to represent Kareem Amer before the prosecution. However, they were astonished with the misleading information given to them, in order to indirectly prevent them form representing Kareem, who was referred to Eastern Alexandria Prosecutor Office to be re-interrogated. Despite Kareem demanded to call for his lawyers who were awaiting him in Mohram Bek prosecutor office, his demand was denied and the prosecutor awarded him additional fifteen days in detention.

The lawyers were not waiting for Kareem alone; the judge of Mohram Bek Prosecution was waiting for him too. All of them were surprised when all the prisoners of Al-Hadra prison were brought to the prosecution excluding Kareem. The prisoners told the lawyers that the police and State Security Service took Kareem to Eastern Alexandria Prosecutor Office to interrogate him there. Then, the lawyers learnt that Kareem was awarded additional fifteen days, and his demand to wait for his lawyers was denied.

Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and Egyptian Observatory for Justice and Law (EOJL) call upon Egyptian and international civil society and public opinion to force the Egyptian government to eliminate its evasiveness and to immediately release Kareem Amer. If they believe that Kareem deserves punishment for what he wrote, they should refer him to court rather than renewing his detention. This is considered a sever violation of law and an arbitrary use of the hatful right of provisional detention.