Kareem is mentioned in one of Menassat’s latest articles:

Egyptian courts are being flooded these days with so-called ‘Hesba’ lawsuits targeting outspoken writers, film makers and poets. According to Islamic law, anyone can file a Hesba lawsuit if they believe God has been insulted. But some suggest that money, fame and political repression play an equally important part in the recent rise of Hesba cases.

BEIRUT, August 18, 2008 (MENASSAT) – The latest figure to get tangled up in the murky waters of Hesba law suits is movie director Enad El-Dighaidy, whose film, Diaries of a Teenage Girl, has attracted the wrath of an attorney affiliated with Egypt’s ruling NDP party.

The unnamed lawyer is said to have vast experience in Hesba lawsuits and has asked the Sheikh of Egypt’s highest religious council, Al Azhar, to punish the female director with 80 lashes for defaming the country.

Sources told MENASSAT that the same lawyer has sought similar punishment against an Egyptian actress who appeared unveiled in a film. Last year, he was one of the lawyers who lobbied for putting Ibrahim Eissa, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Al-Dustour, on trial for publishing pieces questioning the health of Egypt’s 81-year-old President Mubarak.

Blogger Kareem Amer

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI, an Egyptian NGO) recently commissioned a study of the Hesba cases, which it has called “a nightmare for authors and artists.” ANHRI argued that the large increase in such lawsuits could not have happened “without the blessing of the Egyptian government.”

“There was a significant increase in Hesba cases in both 2007 and 2008. Most of the lawsuits have been political Hesba cases,” ANHRI Director Gamal Eid told MENASSAT.

Bloggers too have been targeted by the Hesba frenzy.

Two years ago, Kareem Amer, a 21-year-old student from Al Azhar University, had expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the Egyptian regime and the teachings of his university on his blog.

When in early 2006, Amer wrote that “the professors and sheikhs at Al Azhar, who stand against anyone who thinks freely, will end up in the dustbin of history,” he was expelled from his university and his professors filed a complaint with the General Prosecutor.

The Hesba suit against Amer was first rejected by a regular court but was upheld by an appeals court. In February 2007, Kareem Amer was handed a four-year prison sentence for “insulting Islam and the Egyptian President and inciting sedition.”

It was the first time Egypt sentenced a blogger to prison.

Read the rest of the article here.

Africal Liberty recently published this appeal to Egypt, requesting that blogger Kareem Amer and democracy activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim be freed:

We make a special appeal to the Egyptian Authorities to give meaning to the very existence of man–to pursue his lawful goals without let or hindrance; that the basis for such expression lays in the freedom of thought and speech.

Democracy activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim has just been convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly making unpalatable comments on bilateral trade agreements between Egypt and the United States. A young Egyptian student blogger named Abdul Kareem Nabil Soliman is languishing in a Cairo jail for allegedly defaming the Egyptian President and questioning the Islamisation of his University, Al-Azhar University. Kareem has served two out of a four-year sentence handed him in a kangaroo-like court after truncated investigations.

Obviously, incarcerating people for merely expressing their thoughts can only mean one thing- they live under a repressive regime. We have hoped that African countries that callously suppressed freedom of speech would learn from others such as Ghana. Egypt risks being categorized into the infamous league of repressive states (if not already) if Saad, Kareem and any other persons suffering similar fate continue to be held in prison.

Link to original article.

FREE AMER

A U.S. congressman is calling on Egypt to release a popular human rights blogger from prison.

“Kareem Amer, as he is known on the blogosphere, was sentenced to four years in prison in February 2007 solely for what he wrote on his blog condemning Islamic extremism and the treatment of women,” notes Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican.

The congressman points out that Egypt is one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid and, “We should ensure that the partners of ours of this magnitude are also dedicated to the freedom of expression.”

Read the rest of the article.

TOMORROW, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will pardon hundreds of prisoners who have served more than half of their sentences, an annual gesture of mercy coinciding with commemorations of the July 23, 1952, “revolution” that brought Egypt’s military-backed regime to power. If past practice holds, those freed will include some convicted of violent crimes such as murder and rape.

- Washington Post.

Will victims of Egypt’s human rights abuses be eligible as well? Or are criminals and rapists still favored by the Egyptian government than those fighting for free speech, and individual freedom?

Egypt, it is time to FREE KAREEM!

Kareem has been arrested since November 6th, 2006. He is about to spend his 600th day in prison! We are planning an event for this day and hope that you will all be involved.

Here are the details.

Date: Saturday, the 28th of June
Occasion: Day 600 for Kareem in prison!
Theme: Increase awareness for Kareem in prison, and get in touch with him!

How you can get involved:

On the 28th, dedicate a post on your blog/website to Kareem.

You can do this in two ways:

Option 1: Write a post/letter directly to or about Kareem. Make people aware of what Kareem is going through. Express your opinions or concerns over the fact that he is still in prison just for sharing his personal views on radical Islam, extremism within Al Azhar, and the president of Egypt.

Option 2: Write about something controversial, fearlessly, the same way as Kareem did (whether be it about free speech, human rights, religious freedom, political rights, et al) and then dedicate this post to him.

You may also choose to directly write to Kareem using the following address:

Prisoner Abdul Kareem Nabil Suleiman
Alexandria
Borg Al-Arab Prison
Room 1 Section 22
The Arab Republic of Egypt

Please attach the Arabic address on your letter:

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.

Kirk, Frank to President Bush: Pressure Egyptian Government to Release First Imprisoned Arab Blogger

Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman imprisoned for condemning Islamic extremism and defending women and minorities

First blogger in Egypt convicted for peaceful Internet expression

WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.), along with 13 other Republicans and Democrats sent a letter to President Bush today urging him to press Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to release human rights activist and blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman. Soliman was convicted for condemning Islamic extremism for its poor treatment of women and minorities on his blog. The case has attracted strong international attention and the personal interest of the President.

“Over the past year, the human rights of Egyptians have deteriorated, specifically with regard to freedom of expression,” said Congressman Kirk, a member of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. “Hundreds of prisoners of conscience are sitting in Egyptian prisons, but perhaps the most troubling case is that of young human rights activist and blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman. His only crime was speaking out against extremists who seek to persecute women and minorities. For that, the Egyptian government sentenced him to rot in prison for four years. We have a unique opportunity to right this injustice – President Bush should call on Egyptian President Mubarak to release Soliman and reestablish the freedom of expression that every person, regardless of location, deserves.”

Mr. Soliman is known more commonly by his Internet pen name “Kareem Amer.” In March 2006, he was expelled from his religious university for comments posted on his blog denouncing the university’s discriminatory teachings and practices. “I call on Egyptian government officials to take the necessary procedures to protect the Egyptian youth from the spread of subversive religious ideologies among them by permanently shutting down religious institutions in this country,” Soliman wrote. “Shutting them down will stop the prevalence of the tone of hatred and sectarian enmity, heated by what [religious university] students study from things that incite [the] hatred and scorn of non-Muslims.” Soliman was later arrested by the government and convicted of “contempt of religion” and “defaming the President of Egypt.” On February 22, 2007, he was sentenced to four years in jail.

“It is inevitable that the Internet will grow, and so too must the freedoms that founded it,” the lawmakers wrote. “We therefore request that you press President Mubarak to commute the sentence of or grant amnesty to Mr. Soliman as a way to show that Egypt is a force for moderation on the Internet, our new global village. By accepting broad liberties within this vast new medium, Egypt can demonstrate its role as a pioneer in showing tolerance to different and new ideas.”

Egyptian prisoners are occasionally released by the President in honor of various national holidays, including the recent release of 861 prisoners to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. July 23, Revolution Day, is Egypt’s next national holiday.

Bush will meet with Mubarak on Saturday. The bipartisan Kirk-Frank letter is below.

________________________________________

Dear Mr. President:

As Members of Congress concerned about freedom of speech in Egypt, we are writing in advance of your visit with President Mubarak to respectfully request that you strongly urge him to release human rights advocate and blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman.

Egypt and the United States are allies in the fight against extremism in the Arab world. A new part of this effort is the establishment of Internet rights, such as blogging. The right to peaceful, free expression through newspapers or now the Web will have an enormous impact on the reputations of nascent democracies, especially for the new generation under forty that now seems to live on the Internet.

Mr. Soliman, known more commonly by his Internet pen name Kareem Amer, was convicted for statements made on his personal web blog condemning Islamic extremism for its poor treatment of women and minorities. On February 22, 2007, he was sentenced to a total of four years in prison. While we recognize his comments were offensive to many Egyptians and Muslims around the world, this sentence sets a troubling precedent. Mr. Soliman is the first blogger in the Arab world to be convicted for the expression of personal views.

We recognize that Egyptian law is sensitive to all denigration of religion and protects Islam, Christianity and Judaism from any religious defamation. However, Egypt must honor these laws under its commitment to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. These solemn international agreements state that “everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference” and “everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression.” Such rights include “the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”

It is inevitable that the Internet will grow, and so too must the freedoms that founded it. To continue on the path of modernization, development and reform, it is critical that Egypt expand the scope of acceptable Internet dialogue such that expressing views on religious extremism does not constitute a violation of law.

The Egyptian judiciary has on occasion commuted the sentence of political prisoners. Journalist Howayda Taha Matwali was convicted of making or possessing pictures likely to harm the country’s reputation in January, 2007, but the Court vacated her prison sentence just this past February.

The Egyptian Constitution also affords the President the right to grant amnesty or commute a sentence. President Mubarak has exercised this right on a number of occasions, including the release of 861 prisoners to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Revolution Day, July 23, would seem the perfect opportunity to commute Mr. Soliman’s sentence to time served, seventeen months.

We therefore request that you press President Mubarak to commute the sentence of or grant amnesty to Mr. Soliman as a way to show that Egypt is a force for moderation on the Internet, our new global village. By accepting broad liberties within this vast new medium, Egypt can demonstrate its role as a pioneer in showing tolerance to different and new ideas.

Thank you for your attention to this precedent-setting case. We look forward to working with you on this and other human rights abuses around the world.

Sincerely,
Mark Steven Kirk, Member of Congress
Barney Frank, Member of Congress
Frank R. Wolf, Member of Congress
William D. Delahunt, Member of Congress
Christopher H. Smith, Member of Congress
Al Green, Member of Congress
Ted Poe, Member of Congress
Bob Inglis, Member of Congress
Robert B. Aderholt, Member of Congress
Shelley Berkley, Member of Congress
Trent Franks, Member of Congress
Thaddeus McCotter, Member of Congress
Howard Berman, Member of Congress
John Conyers, Jr., Member of Congress
Joe Courtney, Member of Congress

Tomorrow, Mubarak celebrates his 80th birthday. We hope that he wakes up to the realization that, while he may be celebrating, thousands of innocent prisoners, including our friend Kareem Amer, are unjustly suffering in jail. This is a grave mistake by the Mubarak regime – please, free Kareem and his ilk. Frankly we are not asking for much! And we have been requesting this consistently for the past 544 days! Kareem did nothing wrong and he should be released unconditionally as soon as possible.

‘We need to keep Kareem in our thoughts’:

On the first anniversary of his imprisonment, the ‘Free Kareem’ campaign launched another worldwide campaign today to draw attention to jailed Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer.

By ALEXANDRA SANDELS

BEIRUT/CAIRO, Feb. 22, 2008 (MENASSAT) – It was on February 22 last year that Egypt sentenced its first cyber dissident to prison. Kareem Amer, a then 21-year old former law student at the Islamic Al-Azhar University had published writings on his blog karam903.blogspot.com that posed strong criticism to his Alma Mater and the regime of president Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian authorities decided it was time to pull the plug on the cyber-dissident. An Alexandria court sentenced Amer to four years in prison for “defaming Islam and President Mubarak.”

The blogger is currently spending his days at Burj al-Arab prison outside Alexandria, “a notorious institution for criminals,” as one activist describes the facility.

Over the past year, international rights groups as well as foreign politicians and policy makers have urged the Egyptian authorities to release Amer.

Egyptian foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit offered in response that he rejects interference, “by whoever it may be,” in Egypt’s affairs.

In commemoration of Friday’s one-year anniversary of Amer’s sentencing, the online campaign ‘Free Kareem’ held a global ‘Kareem Day’ in an effort to spur awareness of the case and make ‘people not forget’ about the imprisoned blogger.

Activists planned rallies outside the Egyptian embassies in Washington DC, Paris, and London and the campaign organizers urged writers to submit opinion articles on Amer’s case in newspapers and student publications.

It is not the first time the group puts on advocacy events for Amer. Last year, they managed to organize simultaneous protests in ten world capitals, including Paris, New York, Stockholm, and London.

This year, however, the team has shifted its strategy somewhat to increase its impact.

“We want to make this day as effective as possible and therefore we have changed our strategy from last year. Instead of holding worldwide rallies we have chosen three strategic cities for the demonstrations. We are also targeting the media and hope to enforce our message through the newspapers’ opinion pages,” Esra’a Al-Shafei, Director of the Free Kareem Coalition said in an interview with MENASSAT.

Al-Shafei emphasized that it is particularly important for the group to target the U.S. media and institutions because of “America’s strategic influence on Egypt.”

“Billions of dollars are being sent to Egypt from the U.S. We want to pressure the Egyptian authorities to understand that keeping Kareem in prison is harming their image,” continued Al-Shafei. “I believe the Egyptian government is aware it is being pressured on the matter”.

The physical and psychological condition of Amer himself remains a constant worry to the activists.

El-Shafei expressed concerns about Kareem’s state saying that it was “a while ago” since she heard from him.

“I’ve heard he is doing better. We are sending him letters but we don’t know if he is receiving them. For every three letters we send him we usually get one back ,” said Al-Shafei.

Egyptian blogger Wa7damasreya (Egyptian girl) stays in regular touch with Amer and is one of the few who has been able to visit him in jail.

“I am very close to him. It’s very hard to visit him in prison. I think I’ve gone three times now. You have to be there very early and they make you wait for a long time,” she told MENASSAT in a phone interview.

The last time Wa7damasreya visited Amer in prison she waited six hours and was able to meet with him for less than fifteen minutes.

She also said it has been a while since she last heard from Amer.

“I received a letter from Kareem on February 6 but it was sent to my house in Alexandria instead of Cairo where I live, so I haven’t been able to read it yet. It’s a risk for my family. They don’t like that I am receiving letters from prisoners,” Wa7damasreya said.

Life in prison is very hard for Amer but Wa7damasreya points out that the blogger always brightens up when he receives visits.

During her visits, Wa7damasreya always brings Amer books as she knows he is an avid reader.

“Kareem loves books. I always try to bring a book with me when I go to see him. Last time I brought him a book by Naguib Mahfouz”.

However, the blogger said that Burj al-Arab is filled with crooks and criminals. “Kareem is surrounded by criminals. The guards are hitting the prisoners with batons,” she said.

Amer himself recently claimed in a letter to his lawyers than he had been subjected to abuse by another inmate and a guard inside the prison.

His lawyers from the Cairo-based NGO Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRInfo) said that Amer was beaten and then transferred to solitary confinement where he was shackled and assaulted. One of his teeth was allegedly broken during the abuse.

The organization has previously stated that the incident was ordered by a prison investigation officer.

Amer’s legal advisers have raised the case with the General Prosecutor but there have been no reports on an investigation into the matter.

When asked how the public can help Amer, Wa7damasreya told MENASSAT that “sending him letters and books” is always a good idea.

El-Shafei restated the importance for people “not to forget about Kareem” and “to keep him in your thoughts.”

Below are some photos of the rally that took place in Washington DC in defense of Kareem on the 22nd of February. This is the fourth rally to take place for Kareem in Washington!

Big thanks to Jonathan Blanks for the photos and for making much of this possible! And thanks to everyone who made it through despite the uncooperative weather.

Kareem’s case has been featured in an op-ed article written by supportive students of the London School of Economics. Below is a sample of the page:

[Click photo for larger image]