We wrote an extensive timeline of all the news and events concerning Kareem within a post here, and now we launch an interactive version of this timeline (which is much less extensive due to restrictions in space, but informative nonetheless.) Scroll below for a text version.
An updated timeline of Kareem’s case: anything from this campaign’s activities to media coverage to Kareem’s personal letter, you will find within this timeline!
26 October 2005 – Kareem arrested for the “inflammatory” post, entitled “The naked truth about Islam as I saw it in Maharram Beh.” He is released after 3 weeks.
November 6th, 2006 – Kareem Amer arrested by Egyptian authorities.
November 6th, 2006 – HAMSA launches petition to secure the release of Kareem. The petition is eventually signed by 3,497 individuals.
November 7th, 2006 – The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information publish the first regional press release on Kareem’s case and organize to get him lawyers.
November 7th, 2006 - Kareem gets featured for the first time on Reuters.
November 8, 2006 - One of the first articles published on Kareem’s most recent arrest in the Arab press by Al Quds Al Arabi.
November 9, 2006 - Global Voices Online covers Kareem’s case for the first time and gathers thoughts/opinions from the blogosphere.
November 10th, 2006 – Elaph, a leading Arab liberal Web site that has more than 300,000 readers per day, covers Kareem’s arrest in Arabic.
November 10th, 2006 – Kareem’s case gets picked up by Reporters Without Borders
November 11th, 2006 – Egyptian and Bahraini Human Rights Organizations Condemn the Ongoing Detention of Kareem
November 12th, 2006 – Kareem’s first letter from prison gets published on FreeKareem.org
November 13th, 2006 – Students for Global Democracy issue a statement of support for Kareem.
November 14th, 2006 – Amnesty International reports on Kareem’s case.
November 14th, 2006 – Kareem’s second letter from prison gets published on FreeKareem.org
November 14th, 2006 – The Guardian publishes extensive coverage of Kareem’s case.
November 20th, 2006 – Kareem’s case gets an exclusive feature on the BBC.
November 22nd, 2006 – Students of Columbia University publish an opinion piece on Kareem on the Columbia Spectator.
November 27, 2006 – Kareem’s 3rd letter from prison gets published on FreeKareem.org
November 28, 2006 – IRIN News publishes press release on Kareem.
December 7th, 2006 – Three lawyers represented Kareem before the prosecution; Kareem’s detention was renewed for 15 days and access to his lawyers was denied.
December 8th, 2006 – HRINFO publishes second press release on Kareem, stating that charges against him are false.
December 11th, 2006 - Dailia Ziada and Jesse Sage publish an opinion piece about on TCS Daily.
December 20th, 2006 – After referring his case to the State Security Prosecution, Kareem Amer is sentenced to an additional 45 days in custody. HRINFO condemns the act in its 3rd press release for Kareem.
December 30th, 2006 – The first protest for Kareem takes place in Manama, Bahrain by Kareem’s friends.
January 10th, 2007 – Rally for Kareem in Bahrain inspires another rally in DC.
January 11th, 2007 - The DC Coalition for Blog Freedom organize rally for Kareem in front of the Egyptian Embassy.
January 12th, 2007 – Le Monde picks up on Kareem’s case and publishes extensive article.
January 16th, 2007 - Kareem receives notification that his next investigation will take place on the 31st of January.
January 17th, 2007 – Protesters outside the Egyptian embassy in Washington, DC get interviewed by international media and their efforts were featured on the Daily Star Egypt.
January 18th, 2007 – Kareem’s trial gets further postponed, upon the demand of the defense lawyers for reviewing his files. He is prevented from seeing his family and is allowed one meal per two days.
January 18th, 2007 - News breaks out that Kareem may face up to 9 years in prison.
January 19th, 2007 - Kareem’s trial gets featured on the Guardian.
January 19th, 2007 - Bloggers and protesters launch video for Kareem.
January 19th, 2007 – Kareem gets more coverage from international news services, including extensive mentions on the Associated Press, CNews, and the New York Times.
January 24th, 2007 – Director of the Free Kareem Coalition gets opinion piece published on Pajamas Media.
January 24th, 2007 – Bloggers and supporters use MySpace to spread awareness on Kareem’s case.
January 24th, 2007 - Congressmen Trent Franks and Barney Frank, one a very conservative Republican and the other a very liberal Democrat, have co-signed a letter to Nabil Fahmy, Egypt’s Ambassador to the US, demanding Kareem’s release.
January 24th, 2007 – Interfaith Blogger Network calls for the release of Kareem in a press release.
January 25th, 2007 – US Congressmen’s pressure on Egyptian authorities to release Kareem gets publicized in the Daily Star Egypt.
January 25th, 2007 – Kareem’s trial gets local and international attention, with the AP publishing exclusive photos of Kareem being sent back to prison. The Egyptian court refused to release Kareem on bail.
January 27th, 2007 – Kareem gets case pushed by Human Rights Watch.
January 28th, 2007 – A second independent petition for Kareem gets published and eventually receives over 6,500 signatures.
January 31, 2007 – An informal group of New York City residents joined together in solidarity for a peaceful protest for Kareem. The protest was held in front of the Egyptian Consulate in New York. Press release was launched regarding the rally by the Free Kareem Coalition entitled “Enough Talk, it is Time to Walk.” Rally gets local and international attention.
February 1st, 2007 – Kareem’s case is featured in the Christian Science Monitor, condemning the injustice of having Kareem in jail for months while awaiting trial for bizarre charges, including insulting the president of Egypt on a blog.
February 1st, 2007 – Kareem gets featured in the Swedish news.
February 1st, 2007 – Pictures of the New York rally gets featured on FreeKareem.org, with a personal letter from the organizer.
February 1st, 2007 – Kareem’s trial was adjourned yet again to the 22nd of February. Extremist lawyer who filed a claim against Kareem gets support from other Islamic lawyers.
February 1st, 2007 – Kareem gets featured in RSF’s Egypt annual report.
February 3rd, 2007 – The London Coordinator of the Free Kareem Coalition starts organizing a rally in London.
February 6th, 2007 – Supporters use YouTube to spread the word on Kareem.
February 8th, 2007 – First worldwide demonstration for Kareem gets organized by the Free Kareem coalition.
February 10th, 2007 – Three Italian MPs have written letters to the Egyptian Ambassador demanding the release of Kareem.
February 11th, 2007 – Rallies for the worldwide demonstration have been confirmed in NYC, Washington, Chicago, London, Ottawa, Rome, and Bucharest.
February 12th, 2007 – Free Kareem Coalition publishes 2nd press release: Worldwide Demonstration in Support of Jailed Egyptian Blogger.
February 13th, 2007 – Kareem gets massive support in Italy after having been featured on the La Repubblica Newspaper.
February 16th, 2007 – Ren Wadlow, Main Representative, and David G. Littman, Representative, of the Association for World Education to the United Nations Office in Geneva, have sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, calling her to speak out for Kareem’s freedom.
February 17th, 2007 – David Smith from The Observer, a UK Sunday newspaper, writes about Kareem Amer’s case.
February 18th, 2007 – Kareem’s family disowns him; father wants him killed if he does not “repent.” The issue gets reported by Al Masree Al Yawm (The Egyptian Today) with an English translation by FreeKareem.org found here.
February 19th, 2007 – Libert Chrie, a libertarian federation of associations based in France, reported the on the success of their Paris rally on Free Kareem Day with pictures and a statement published on FreeKareem.org
February 19th, 2007 - Protest in support for Kareem to be held in Stockholm.
February 19th, 2007 – The London coordinator for the Free Kareem Coalition reports on the success of Free Kareem Day on FreeKareem.org; similar reports are published in New York, DC (here and here), Rome, and Sweden.
February 20th, 2007 – Kareem’s father talks to Al-Masree Al-Yawm (‘The Egyptian Today’) on Kareem’s past, and accuses a feminist writer and a leader of the expatriate Copts of leading his son to his “heresy.” FreeKareem.org has a translation of the article.
February 21, 2007 – The Washington Post, a leading daily American newspaper and the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C., has published an article on Kareem Amer’s unjust imprisonment: The ‘Crime’ Of Blogging In Egypt.
February 21st, 2007 – As his final trial approaches, Kareem has reportedly received death threats from strangers as well as member of his own family.
February 22nd, 2007 – Kareem is officially sentenced to four years in prison; three years for contempting religion, and one year for defaming the president of Egypt. Lawyers immediately attempt an appeal, hoping that it will shorten the sentence, but are unsuccessful.
February 22nd, 2007 – The Free Kareem Coalition immediately publish a press release concerning Kareem’s sentence.
February 22nd, 2007 – Seconds after he was loaded into the truck and the door closed, an Associated Press reporter heard the sound of a slap from inside the vehicle and a shriek of pain from Nabil.
February 22nd, 2007 – Kareem gets selected as a nominee for one of the 7th Annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards, which are intended to honor the world’s champions of freedom of expression.
February 22nd, 2007 – Kareem gets worldwide attention has the world becomes aware of his sentence. FreeKareem.og features them all here.
February 24th, 2007 – Cairo-based blogger Yasmin Amin provides an excellent analysis of Kareem Amer’s entire blog, concluding that his blog posts were anything but harmful, in her post entitled “The Crime of obeying God.”
February 24th, 2007 – Index on Censorship condemn Kareem’s sentence.
February 24th, 2007 – The CATO Institute publish first podcast on Kareem’s case.
February 26th, 2007 – Kareem’s appeal court hearing set for March 12.
February 27th, 2007 – Bridget Johnson, a nation/world news columnist at the Daily News of Los Angeles, calls on support for Kareem, stating: Unless the global community takes a stand, Kareem’s imprisonment will not be the last. She also includes suggestions on helping Kareem and provides a sample letter of her letter to Egyptian ambassador, encouraging others to do the same. Bridget gets included in the Free Kareem Coalition as a media consultant.
February 27th, 2007 – Kareem’s case gets featured on BlowOut, radio talk show, with an interview with FreeKareem.org members.
February 28th, 2007 – The Free Kareem Coalition begins providing constant translations of Kareem’s essays, with the first one being published here.
February 28, 2007 – Kareem’s case gets an exclusive feature for the 2nd time on the Washington Post.
February 28, 2007 – British television station Channel 4 reports on Kareem Amer’s imprisonment, and discusses the struggle between Arab bloggers and their leaders in the Middle East.
February 28, 2007 – The Free Kareem Coalition releases videos and pictures of Kareem leaving court and getting hit after his sentence. An extensive report was published here.
March 2, 2007 – The French newspaper Le Monde has published an editorial on Kareem Amer in its latest weekend supplement. A full-scale scan can be found here.
March 2, 2007 – Kareem shortlisted for the prestigious Index on Censorship/Hugo Young Award for Journalism 2007
March 3, 2007 – Syrian bloggers express solidarity with Kareem, stating: We, as a community of Syrian bloggers, condemn the arrest and sentencing of Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman for the peaceful expression of his dissenting views.
March 3, 2007 - Along with the Syrian blogosphere, bloggers in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania) stand against the injustice Kareem is facing: Maghreb bloggers condemn the imprisonment of an Egyptian blogger.
March 3, 2007 – The Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest national daily newspaper, weighs in: Young blogger jailed in Egypt; chill envelops online dissent.
March 3, 2007 – The editor-in-chief of Alt.Muslim, an online Muslim news community, discussed the actions governments in the Middle East are taking against bloggers, the complex position the United States would be in if they were to fully support these bloggers, and what Muslim bloggers need to do to support each other.
March 3, 2007 – Muslim blogger Yasmin Amin writes a brilliant sequel to her first contribution to the Free Kareem campaign.
March 3, 2007 – In support of Kareem, Modern Discussion has set up an online petition campaign titled, “There Is No Sanctity but the Human Being and His Freedom: A Solidarity Campaign for Liberal Writer Abdul Kareem Suleiman.”
March 4, 2007 – Award-winning New York-based journalist and commentator Mona ElTahawy shreds the legitimacy of Kareem’s imprisonment, and gives a stern reminder to President Mubarak.
March 4, 2007 – Asharq Alawsat, a major pan-Arabic daily newspaper printed on four continents, covers Kareem’s case.
March 4, 2007 – Al Jazeera’s “Listening Post” looks at the case of Kareem.
March 5, 2007 - The presse attach of the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C., wrote a letter to The Washington Post editor. Mr. Haggag defended Kareem’s imprisonment, claimed that Kareem was sentenced under an impartial judicial process, and went on to insist that that criticism of the government by the media has been ‘liberalized.’
March 6, 2007 – Metro Holland publishes an article on the case of Kareem and on the fact that now, for Egyptians and many others throughout the Arab world, the internet is not the free marketplace of ideas as it once was. Metro Holland has a daily production of over 500,000 copies, reaching around one million readers. A scan was provided by FreeKareem.org here.
March 6, 2007 – Reuters places Kareem’s situation in the larger context of the crackdown on bloggers in Egypt.
March 6, 2007 – Die Zeit, the most widely read German weekly newspaper, publishes a series of articles on Kareem’s case and our campaign on its Web site.
March 7, 2007 – U.S State Department expresses concern over Kareem’s sentencing.
March 7, 2007 – FreeKareem.org provides an English translation of the final entry Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman (alias: Kareem Amer) published on his blog on October 28, 2006, prior to his arrest.
March 8, 2007 – The Foreign Minister of Egypt told the world that he rejects criticism of Kareem’s imprisonment. Mr. Abul-Gheit starts wondering why the outside world seems to be so concerned about the judicial branch of sovereign Egypt. [Full coverage.]
March 9, 2007 – Elaph, a leading Arab liberal Web site that has more than 300,000 readers per day, states that eliminating opinions is futile unless faced by disagreeing opinions. The author extensively quote and analyzed Kareem’s final blog post prior to his arrest. [Full coverage.]
March 9, 2007 – Egypt’s Foreign Minister is “angry” that the U.S State Department’s 2006 human rights report mentions the “poor” respect the Egyptian government has for human rights. [Full coverage.]
March 9, 2007 – Muslim Brotherhood Journalist, Abdul-Mon’em Mahmoud, states on his blog: I disagree with Kareem, but punishing him is unjust. [Full coverage.]
March 10, 2007 – Congressman Trent Franks eloquently responds to the Egyptian Embassy’s letter to the Washington Post: Free This Egyptian Blogger. [Full coverage.]
March 10th, 2007 – The Free Kareem Coalition responds to the Egyptian Embassy in the Washington Post. A scanned image of the letter was published on FreeKareem.org
March 27, 2007 – FreeKareem.org starts a YouTube collection for Kareem.
April 3, 2007 - Kareem’s case gets highlighted at the UN Human Rights Council
April 4, 2007 – A controversial article by Kareem written on November 11, 2004 gets translated into English and publicized by the Free Kareem Coalition.
April 13, 2007 - Kareem’s video interview with Copts United gets translated into English for the first time by the Free Kareem Coalition.
April 15, 2007 – Reporters Without Borders call on French President Jacques Chirac to lobby President Mubarak to expand press freedom and release Kareem from prison.
April 15, 2007 – Prosecutors obstruct appeal of Kareem’s conviction.
April 18, 2007 – Kareem’s case gets featured on The Economist.
April 22, 2007 – Free Kareem finalizes its organization for a worldwide rally. Rallies were officially confirmed in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United Sates of America (New York and Washington DC.) The rally is set for the 27th of April.
April 26, 2007 – Worldwide rallies receive local media attention in Al Masree Al Yawm (The Egyptian Today.) [Full coverage.]
April 27, 2007 – The second set of worldwide rallies are held for Kareem in 14 capital cities.
May 3, 2007 – Bridget Johnson, FreeKareem.org’s media consultant, serves as a moderator on World Press Freedom Day (May 3) on a panel concerning Internet journalism, where she also discussed Kareem’s case.
May 7, 2007 – Gloria Steinem, one of America’s most influential journalists and feminists, writes to Hosni Mubarak; requests Kareem’s release. Signed copy of the letter may be found here.
May 12, 2007 - Kareem’s pro bono lawyers submit a cassation file for him: Revocation of Karim Amer’s verdict – Last chance for justice.
May 14, 2007 – The United Nations refused to approve the distribution of a flier where Kareem’s case is highlighted in order to avoid offending the Egyptian government.
May 20, 2007 – FreeKareem.org launches eCard system.
May 20, 2007 – The Free Kareem Coalition sends a personal letter to the UN, strongly objecting the election of Egypt to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council on May 17, with 168 votes out of the 192-member General Assembly. A coalition of human-rights groups opposed the election of Egypt, as well as Angola and Qatar (who won appointments) and Belarus (which lost).
May 22, 2007 – FreeKareem.org launches video on why Egypt should not be a member of the UN Human Rights Council. Video may be watched on YouTube here.
May 24, 2007 – Elaph, a leading Arab liberal news site, publishes an open letter to President Mubarak: A Call for President Mubarak to Free Abdul Kareem.
June 5, 2007 - Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) launched the first Members’ briefing this week for the bi-partisan Task Force on Religious Freedom, which he co-chairs with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05). Among the things discussed in the briefing was Kareem.
June 6, 2007 - FreeKareem.org gets hacked, the front page being replaced with a Quranic verse for 21 hours until the website was up and running again after a quick backup was performed by the site’s administrator.
June 7, 2007 – Amnesty expresses concern for Kareem in a report about global internet censorship. The report gets featured in the UK’s Telegraph.
June 14, 2007 - The Free Kareem Coalition organize a worldwide event for Kareem’s 23rd birthday. Supporters were asked to mail clothes, writing materials, letters, blankets, postcards, and books to Kareem’s prison address.
June 17, 2007 – FreeKareem.org features a video for Kareem’s birthday.
June 17, 2007 – Kareem’s friend and fellow blogger, Shahinaz, visits Kareem in prison to wish him a happy birthday. She notes in a blog entry that Kareem is being mistreated by prison guards.
June 25, 2007 – FreeKareem.org sponsors a Chinese campaign to secure the release of 4 young cyber dissidents in China. It is the first documented Arab and Chinese collaboration online.
July 3, 2007 – FreeKareem.org publishes Kareem’s 4th letter from prison.
July 5, 2007 - FreeKareem.org announces letter campaign for Kareem, encouraging people to send him letters of friendship and support.
July 13, 2007 - Kareem gets featured in the Lebanon-based regional Daily Star’s commentary.
July 15, 2007 – Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, an Egyptian-Canadian writer/film producer best known for his book, Baghdad Bound: An Interpreter’s Chronicles of the Iraq War, publishes an extensive 15-page report on Kareem.
July 18, 2007 – Supporters in Romania write letters to the Egyptian Embassy in Bucharest, Romania, demanding Kareem’s immediate and unconditional release.
July 21, 2007 – The Free Kareem Coalition starts planning for Kareem’s next worldwide rally, to take place on the 9th of November, in order to mark the anniversary of his arrest (November 6th.)
July 31, 2007 - Reporters Without Borders wrote to French President Nicolas Sarkozy asking him to intercede on behalf of Kareem when he receives a visit from Hosni Mubarak on the 2nd of August.
August 5, 2007 – Congressman Trent Franks calls on President Mubarak to address growing deterioration of religious freedom, citing Kareem as a prime example: “Kareem’s case is one example of the deterioration in Egypt’s stated respect for human rights and religious freedom over the past year.”
August 7, 2007 – Al Jazeera English publish a follow up on Kareem’s case in the Listening Post.
August 10, 2007 – High school students in New Zealand support Kareem and free speech: “The school’s challenge aims to free Chinese journalist Shi Tao and Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer who are in jail for simple internet activities.” [Full coverage.]
August 18, 2007 – Kareem’s 5th letter from prison gets published on FreeKareem.org
August 26, 2007 – FreeKareem.org creates a Twitter account for people to keep up with the campaign’s activities.
September 1, 2007 – FreeKareem.org sponsors the Committee to Protect Bloggers. [Full coverage.]
September 3rd, 2007 – Suzan Mubarak explores peace with Arab youth in Egypt. The Free Kareem Coalition reacts to her opening statement: “Listening is a great start, but acting upon what you hear is more important,” stating that accepting this advice leads young people like Kareem to prison when practiced in Egypt.
September 9, 2007 – Kareem’s 6th letter gets published on FreeKareem.org
September 15, 2007 – FreeKareem.org and its voluntary staff members dismiss claims that the campaign receives funding or sponsorship from any foreign organizations. It is an independent project led independently by his personal friends.
September 16, 2007 – Shahinaz, mutual friend and blogger, visits Kareem in prison, stating that the guards continue to shout and use wooden sticks with prisoners “as if they are animals.” Kareem begins accepting money from the Free Kareem campaign.
October 3, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Bloggers help organize a Twitter day for Kareem, to take place on the 6th of November.
October 12, 2007 - The Free Kareem Coalition continues organizing a worldwide rally for Kareem, publishing sample fliers for people to use.
October 16, 2007 - Kareem’s friend Shahinaz informs FreeKareem.org that he is gladly receiving many international letters of support, making the FreeKareem.org’s letter campaign a success.
October 16, 2007 – The Daily Star Egypt publishes a story on FreeKareem.org’s worldwide protests which would mark the anniversary of Kareem’s imprisonment.
October 17, 2007 – Kareem gets featured in Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007, an annual documentation by Reporters Without Borders.
October 23, 2007 - The Free Kareem Coalition confirms rallies in at least 15 cities worldwide, including Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro.
October 25, 2007 – Amnesty International New Zealand takes action for Kareem, e-mailing a petition with over 800 signatures to the Interior Minister as well as the diplomatic representative of Egypt accredited to New Zealand.
November 6, 2007 - Twitter day for Kareem, co-organized with the Committee to Protect Bloggers, takes place.
November 6, 2007 – Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard sends a message of support to Kareem to mark the first anniversary of his arrest.
November 6, 2007 – Free Kareem’s worldwide rally details and information finalized and published on FreeKareem.org
November 9, 2007 – Free Kareem worldwide rallies are held in over 15 capital cities around the world.
November 12, 2007 – Kareem’s lawyers receive a letter of complaint from Kareem, which stated that he was being physically tortured in prison. HRINFO publishes an immediate press release demanding that the Egyptian Prosecutor-General investigates the case.
November 13, 2007 – Kareem’s torture allegations get picked up by the international media including the Associated Post, The Jerusalem Post, IFEX, Reuters, and the Daily Star Egypt.
November 15, 2007 - International PEN Writers in Prison Day. PEN publicizes its profile of Kareem.
November 16, 2007 – FreeKareem.org celebrates what the UN considers the “International Day of Tolerance” by calling on Egypt to tolerate its critics by releasing innocent individuals like Kareem and his ilk.
November 26, 2007 – Menassat, a website focusing on media events in the MENA region, features Kareem’s case in a video.
December 1st, 2007 – FreeKareem.org publishes receipt that shows that the money raised through the website is gradually being sent to Kareem in prison.
December 4, 2007 - Shahinaz, Kareem’s personal friend and fellow blogger, gets featured in a podcast on Global Voices Online and requests for people to send letters of support to Kareem, as well as join the campaign to help free him. [Full coverage.]
December 6, 2007 - Reporters Without Borders awards Kareem in the cyber-dissident category. [Full coverage.]
December 8, 2007 – Journalist Magdy Samaan tells Kareem’s story in the Daily Star Egypt.
December 25, 2007 – Olof Jönsson, a Swedish journalist, writes about Kareem at Amnesty Press.
December 28, 2007 - Kareem confirms that he received some of the donation money raised by the Free Kareem campaign.
January 6, 2008 - Kareem gets featured in the Arab Times Online.
January 11, 2008 – Bush and Sarkozy urged by Reporters Without Borders to raise freedom of expression during Middle East tours.
January 19, 2008 - A volunteer launches a French version of the Free Kareem campaign.
January 29, 2008 – Kareem’s case gets featured on a Danish radio show.
January 29, 2008 - FreeKareem.org gets banned for several days in Yemen, after expressing solidarity with Yemeni journalists and bloggers.
February 13, 2008 – Reporters Without Borders publishes an action alert concerning the blocking of Yemeni websites in Yemen, as well as the FreeKareem.org site.
February 15, 2008 – The Free Kareem Coalition organizes a worldwide op-ed day for Kareem, as well as rallies in several capital cities, to mark the date when Kareem was officially sentenced by the Egyptian courts to 4 years in prison.
February 22, 2008 – FreeKareem.org sponsors a large rally in New York.
February 23, 2008 – Kareem’s case gets featured in BBC’s “The World’s Podcast.”
February 25, 2008 – Students and friends from the London School of publish words of support to Kareem on their widely circulated student paper.
February 27, 2008 – Amnesty International publishes a press release demanding Kareem’s unconditional release after having spent over one year in prison for expressing his views online.
March 3, 2008 - Swedish journalist Alexandra Sandles publishes article on Kareem in Menassat, documenting FreeKareem.org’s ongoing efforts in keeping Kareem in people’s thoughts. [Full coverage.]
March 5, 2008 – Shahinaz, an Egyptian blogger, Rawda, Kareem’s lawyer, and Doa’a Sultan, a journalist, drove from Cairo to Borg el Arab prison in order to visit Kareem. [Full coverage.]
March 6, 2008 – HRINFO publish press release proving Kareem’s innocence.
March 19, 2008 - The Flood the Jail with Mail campaign is announced by FreeKareem.org and the Committee to Protect Bloggers. [Full coverage.] Campaign gets attention from worldwide blogs, as well as BBC’s “The World’s” technology podcast.
May 17, 2008 – As President Bush prepares to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak this weekend, U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) sent a letter with 13 of their colleagues to President Bush urging him to call for the release of Kareem. [Read letter.]
June 1st, 2008 – 7th letter from Kareem in prison gets published on FreeKareem.org
June 24, 2008 – FreeKareem.org organizes event for Kareem for his 600th day spent in prison. Supporters and friends requested to dedicate a day on their sites and blogs in order to write about Kareem and condemn his imprisonment, further spreading awareness about Egypt’s grave mistake of imprisoning him.
July 18, 2008 – Jimmy Wales, ounder of Wikipedia states that Kareem has been a “cause around the world.” Read more.
July 26, 2008 – Kareem featured in Townhall article. Read it here.
August 15th, 2008 – News revealed that Kareem is banned from seeing most of his visitors.
August 24, 2008 – Alaa Al Aswany, renowned Egyptian author cites Kareem as an example of Egypt’s lack of free speech. Read more.
August 31st, 2008 – Kareem’s lawyers reveal that Kareem is being harrassed in prison. Read more.
September 12, 2008 – Al Jazeera’s Listening Post releases special report on Kareem.
September 13, 2008 – English PEN, an organization in support of free speech with a record of working on behalf of persecuted writers around the world, releases letter expressing serious concern for Kareem.
September 26, 2008 – Human Rights First has launched a letter campaign for you to request the release of 3 detained bloggers/activists, including Kareem.
September 26th, 2008 – Kareem’s letter from prison is sent to his friend Shahinaz, and summarized here.
October 20th, 2008 – Free Kareem Campaign releases press release: Worldwide demonstrations in support of jailed Egyptian blogger.
November 6 & 7, 2008 – Free Kareem rallies take place in Berlin, Bern, Stockholm, Washington, London, San Francisco, Brussels, Rome, Bucharest, Rhode Island, and Paris.
November 9, 2008 – Kareem featured on The National Geographic.
November 18, 2008 – Free Kareem Podcast with Bureaucrash, a non-profit organization that facilitates freedom-oriented activism. Listen to it here.
December 10, 2008 – More coverage of Kareem on Al Jazeera.
December 24, 2008 – Daily News Egypt highlights Kareem’s case as a prominent example of Egypt’s increasing intolerance for freedom of speech.
January 1, 2009 – Free Kareem WordPress Plugin is launched.
January 31, 2009 - Kareem’s latest letter from prison.
February 16, 2009 – Another letter from Kareem.
May 24th, 2009 – More visitors to Kareem are denied entry and barred from visiting him.
May 27th, 2009 – U.S Representatives send letter to President Obama requesting that he press Mubarak to free Kareem.
July 28th, 2009 – Kareem mentioned in Le Petit Journal.
August 18th, 2009 – Kareem’s final appeal postponed until September 15.
September 15th, 2009 – Kareem’s final appeal postponed until the 20th of October.
September 29, 2009 – Swedish Parliament Members Call for Kareem’s Release in a Letter to Mubarak.
October 20th, 2009 – Kareem’s final appeal postponed until the 22nd of December.
November 6th, 2009 – Free Kareem Rally in Washington, DC. Watch video. Rally in Bern took place on the same day and photos may be found here.
December 21st, 2009 – Kareem’s latest letter from prison.
December 22nd, 2009 – Kareem’s final appeal rejected.
December 27th, 2009 – Meklit Hadero, an Ethiopian-born musician and 2009 TEDGlobal Fellow, sings a very moving song in support of Kareem. Listen to it here.
