Alexandra Sandels reports:

A former student at Al-Azhar University, 22-year-old Amer was sentenced in January of this year to four years in prison for insulting Islam and President Mubarak on his internet blog. The case marks the first time Egypt sentences a blogger for ‘tarnishing’ online writings.

Correction of the article - Kareem was actually sentenced on the 22nd of February, after months of being in prison without fair trial, but moving on:

As co-chairs of the Congressional Task Force on International Religious Freedom (TIRF), Franks and Cleaver also stressed the need for the Egyptian authorities to investigate the alleged rise of Islamic extremism at Al-Azhar University and attacks on Coptic Christian communities in Egypt; topics Amer addressed on his blog.

Furthermore, following several security crackdowns on outspoken Egyptian bloggers in the past year, Franks and Cleaver urged Mubarak to protect freedom of expression for all Egyptian bloggers and “ensure Egypt’s vibrant blogging community continues to thrive without persecution.”

The alleged deteriorating press environment in Egypt has caught the attention of rights groups around the world.

It concludes:

Earlier this year, Franks spoke to the Egyptian Ambassador in Washington Nabil Fahmy, and urged him to “look into the case of Amer.”

Members of the US Congress also submitted a bipartisan letter to the ambassador in January, demanding the release of Amer.

On March 12, Amer lost his court appeal and began his prison term.

But his supporters still pin hopes on foreign governments and rights groups to take continued action in the case.

While his prison term started in late February, today marks Kareem’s 283rd day in prison, as his arrest took place on the 6th of November.

You can read Trent Franks’ press release here, which was published earlier this month.

If you are interested in a good way to spread awareness and to help us get the message across to Egypt, please consider being a part of our worldwide rallies. The next date will be Friday, November 9th, which will be 3 days after Kareem’s one year anniversary in prison.

Click here for info. Contact us if you are interested in getting involved. Kareem is depending on your help.

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