We have received notifications from over 400 individuals worldwide who have written letters and postcards in support of Kareem as a response to our latest letter campaign. We are waiting to hear back from Kareem on whether or not he received at least the majority of these letters.

Do know that Kareem is extremely appreciative of these efforts, thanks so much for taking the time to do this, and for those of you who haven’t had the chance yet, it’s never too late. Please send a letter and encourage your friends to do the same.

We are shocked and disturbed by the fact that Kareem is still in prison, and will never give up fighting for his freedom and human rights. Thank you for your support!

We have written about the latest abuses Kareem has been facing from prison guards and security officials, and believe it implies an urgent call for action: We must flood the jail with mail to Kareem. If they want to rip up his letters, let them. We’ll just keep sending more!

Flood the Jail with Mail

A few months ago the campaign was a success, with many letters being sent to Kareem on a daily basis for an entire month, but this is needed now more than ever! Kareem has expressed his support for this initiative. He needs the worldwide support and recognition for his own safety. Please consider taking part in this campaign, which you can read about here.

Here is Kareem’s address in prison:

Prisoner Abdul Kareem Nabil Suleiman
Borg Al-Arab Prison
Section 10, Room 22
Alexandria
The Arab Republic of Egypt

You must include the Arabic text in the letter as well:

Sending him messages and postcards by snail-mail is very important, not only because it will assuage his pains, but to also tell the government and prison that we are still watching.

This is not a requirement – but we suggest that you laminate your letters/cards for them not to be ripped up.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information released a statement today noting further deplorable violations of Kareem’s rights. Security officers of the Borj al Arab prison broke into his prison cell and took away his letters of support, which Kareem has been receiving from around the world.

They also confiscated his notebook, where he keeps his personal thoughts in an attempt to cope with his unjust imprisonment. They have done this for no apparent reason than to abuse a free speech advocate who remains imprisoned since November 6, 2006 merely for his blog posts.

This is not the first time it has happened. In August 2008, some of Kareem’s books and other reading materials were arbitrarily confiscated.

Kareem has completed more than 3/4 of his sentence, however he is still not being released.

Cinzia Polese, who is volunteering as country coordinator for Egypt at Amnesty UK, alerted us that her group is running a campaign to raise further awareness on Kareem. They’re requesting supporters to send a picture of themselves holding a keyboard, representing freedom of speech, with posters that say “Free Kareem” on it. Below are some photos:

Update: More photos!

Latest coverage of Kareem: Democratic Forces Face Tough Time in Egypt’s Coming Election.

Egypt Waging War on Bloggers:

And, referring to a blogger who was sentenced to a four-year jail sentence for calling President Hosni Mubarak a “symbol of dictatorship,” and Al-Azhar University a “university of terror,” prosecutor Mohammed Dawud warned, “If we let people like him off without punishment, a wildfire will blaze up that consumes everything in its path.” He added, “Exactly that is what civil rights activists dream of, many of whom pin their hopes on a grass-roots digital democratization initiated by the country’s bloggers.”

Harassment of bloggers has increased year by year since then. For example:

In 2007, blogger Kareem Amer, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for criticizing President Hosni Mubarak and Egypt’s al-Azhar religious authorities on his blog.

Below is a list of news coverage mentioning Kareem throughout the year 2010 thus far:

Egypt blogger military trial criticised

Virtually, Some Real Freedom

Egypt: Pledge Serious Human Rights Reform

Blogs mark the first 10 years

Egypt and Libya: A Year of Serious Abuses

It’s official: Blogging is a dangerous business

A barometer of religious intolerance

Foreign languages:

Egypte: Le blogueur “Kareem Amer” condamné à quatre ans de prison

Kolejny bloger przed egipskim sądem

Vários países estão a prender jornalistas on-line e autores de blogues

Arabiske blogs giver unge stemme

Dans le même pays

Egitto conferma la lotta ai blogger

Blogger Mesir Disidang di Mahkamah Militer

El Periódico del Pueblo Oriental