Reported by Al-Masree Al-Yawm (The Egyptian Today), with thanks to Dalia.

The article is in Arabic. Here’s my translation, in full:

Family of Al-Azhar Student, Accused of “Contempt of Religion”, Disowns Him Before His Court Verdict Session

Written by Nabeel Abu Shal and Tamer Al-Sharqawy
18/2/2007

The family of Al-Azhar student Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman, accused of “contempt of religion”, has disowned him before his court verdict session on the upcoming Thursday. His father, a retired mathematics teacher, has demanded applying the Sharia [Islamic law] ruling on him by giving him three days to repent, followed by having him killed if he does not announce his repentance.

The father of the Al-Azhar student, who is accused of contempt of the Islamic religion, harming the reputation of Egypt, and inciting to disrupt the peace and to overthrow the regime, has decided to rescind from boycotting his trial hearing sessions. [He has decided] to attend the court verdict session with his four brothers, who completely memorized the Holy Quran, to announce disowning the accused Abdul Kareem inside the court room, in order to reduce the embarrassment and pressure that civil rights organizations are applying on the court panel.

The father of the accused also described the organizations that are working on having his son acquitted as “monkey rights” organizations, in his own words. He also described his son as the “monkey” who has imitated the atheists of the West in their intellectual thinking.

The family also said that they will announce their disownment of their son on the Internet as well.

The Dean of Sharia in Al-Azhar University, which the student Abdul Kareem attends, had him attend a disciplinary hearing after he attacked the Islamic religion on the Internet, and spoke against the Messenger of Allah – peace and blessings be upon him – and the companions [of the prophet of Islam].

René 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:

(Source: Dhimmi Watch)

Appeal to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour: Help free Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman

On 15 February, the day that demonstrators around the world will protest against the continued imprisonment of Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, a 22-year-old student arrested on 6 November 2006 for criticizing the Egyptian government – and also accused of posting criticism of Islam on his personal website – the Association for World Education is appealing to you as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to condemn his continued imprisonment and to call on the Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against Mr. Soliman, also known by his online handle, Kareem Amer.

This is not the first time he has been arrested. His writings also led to him being expelled from Egypt’s Al-Azhar University earlier in 2006. Since his arrest over three months ago, he has been kept in solitary confinement and has been denied access to his lawyer and to his family. Several Middle Eastern human rights organizations have expressed concern for his life, and the recent TV revelations of the customary torture practised in Egyptian prisons on almost anyone arrested has heightened these fears.

The Egyptian Government has cracked down on Internet freedom and at least seven cyber-dissidents were jailed in 2006. Last June, a State Council administrative court endorsed an information and communications ministry decision allowing the authorities to block, suspend or shut down websites considered a threat to “national security.”

Kareem, the first person prosecuted in Egypt for Internet-based journalism, has stated that he believes women and men should be treated equally; that Islamic extremism is gravely hurting Arab society; and that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right.

The Internet has made possible the dissemination of these ideals to a global audience. For that reason, some in Egypt evidently feel threatened by Kareem and others who, like him, are not afraid to speak their minds in upholding, courageously, the principles clearly enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants, which have been adopted and ratified by the Government of Egypt.

Protests will take place today worldwide in New York City, Washington, DC, Ottawa, London, Paris, Rome, and Bucharest. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders have all condemned his imprisonment, which strike at the basic roots of the human rights covenants. Other human rights defenders have spoken up in his defence, and for the universal human rights principles directly involved.

The Association for World Education calls on you, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to raise your voice for Egypt to free Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman now.

Respectfully,

René Wadlow (Main Representative) David G. Littman (Representative)
(Association for World Education to the United Nations Office in Geneva)

Please e-mail the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and ask them to help set Kareem free at tb-petitions[at]ohchr[dot]org. (Additional contact information here).

Kareem’s case has appeared in La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper. (Hat tip: Saro)

Screen shot:

You can read it all in Italian here, and in (broken) English here (If the English link fails you, use the Google translator).

The article links to this Web site and to the petition set up at PetitionOnline.com. That explains why we’ve had more than 200 hundred new signatures on that petition today from Italians (and the number is still rising like mad):

Please don’t forget to also sign the petition letters set up by HAMSA! (Here and here).

To Kareem’s Italian supporters: Grazie infinite!

Update (17/Feb/2007): Thanks to our fellow Italians, the petition now has over 2,000 signatures.

Now I know who to cheer for during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Latest press release -

NEW YORK– Demonstrators around the world will protest on February 15th against the continued imprisonment of Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, a 22-year-old student arrested last November for criticizing the Egyptian government on his personal website. Protests will take place in New York City, London, Rome, Paris, Ottawa, Bucharest, Washington, DC, and a growing number of cities, in hopes of persuading Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against Mr. Soliman, also known by his online handle, Kareem Amer.

Kareem, the first person prosecuted in Egypt for Internet-based journalism, has stated that he believes that women and men should be treated equally; that Islamic extremism is hurting Arab society; and that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right. The Internet has made possible the dissemination of these ideals to a global audience. For that reason, some in Egypt evidently feel threatened by Kareem and others who, like him, are not afraid to speak their minds.

This is not the first time Kareem has been arrested. His writings also led to him being expelled from Egypt’s Al-Azhar University earlier in 2006. Since his arrest in November, he has been kept in solitary confinement and has been denied access to his lawyer and to his family. Several Middle Eastern human rights organizations have expressed concern for his life. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders have all condemned his arrest.

The roster of government officials who have written the Egyptian government on behalf of justice for Kareem continues to grow. Last week, three members of the Italian parliament—Antonio Martino, Daniele Capezzone, and Gaetano Quagliariello—sent letters to the Egyptian government pleading for Kareem’s release. In January, two US congressmen, Republican Trent Franks and Democrat Barney Frank, wrote the Egyptian Ambassador in Washington.

Media may contact Constantino Diaz-Duran, Director of the New York Free Kareem Coalition, by email at constantino@c-dd.com, or on +1 202-288-3328. More information can also be obtained at www.FreeKareem.org.

From the article-

The regime also cracked down on Internet freedom and at least seven cyber-dissidents were jailed in 2006. A State Council administrative court endorsed in June an information and communications ministry decision allowing the authorities to block, suspend or shut down websites considered a threat to “national security.” Blogger Kareem Amer was jailed on 6 November for posting criticism of Islam on his blog.

Read full.

Another journalist notes that “Kareem’s case is on the front page of ‘Svenska Dagbladet’ today, Sweden’s leading newspaper (which is distributed all over Scandinavia).”

This isn’t in English, but we’re glad that the case is being covered in various parts of the world and given much importance.

Click here to read/view the article.

From the Christian Science Monitor -

Egypt steps on the press as it backtracks on democratic reform
Two recent cases have caused journalists and bloggers to fear a government crackdown on freedom of expression.
By Sarah Gauch | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

CAIRO – Court proceedings started Sunday against Howaida Taha, an Al Jazeera journalist arrested while producing a documentary on police torture in Egypt. She’s charged with harming national interests and faces five years in prison.

Meanwhile, Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer has been in jail since November awaiting trial, charged with criticizing Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Taken together, these cases have given journalists, bloggers, and human rights activists in Egypt cause to fear an impending crackdown on the country’s outspoken independent press and its young, activist bloggers, who have been primary agitators for democratic reform.

“These attacks on the press send a chilling message to all members of the media who attempt to tackle sensitive topics,” says Joel Campagna, Middle East program coordinator at the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. “There’s been a steady level of pressure against domestic and pan-Arab media, and bloggers, which might be coming to a head.”

Over the past year, the government has steadily rolled back political reforms implemented since 2004 after the Bush administration singled out Egypt as ripe for democratic reform. Since then, Egypt has held parliamentary elections that were allegedly rife with fraud, police have violently suppressed demonstrations, and the government has arrested hundreds of opposition Muslim Brotherhood members, who hold 88 out of 454 parliamentary seats.

And many worry Egypt’s relative freedom of expression may be ending, too. Indeed, they say, Ms. Taha’s case is alarming. She was accused of fabricating scenes of torture after the authorities discovered her unedited video including reenactments of torture scenes. Taha says she had Interior Ministry cooperation for the project and had told them about the reenactments.

Activists and journalists say the government is trying to squash accusations of Egyptian police torture with Taha’s case, which comes amid revelations of rampant abuse after bloggers posted videos online of apparent police torture.

In one particular case, a minibus driver is shown being sodomized with a stick. Since the tape surfaced, two police officers have been jailed and are scheduled to stand trial. The driver, who subsequently filed a complaint against the police, is serving three months in prison for resisting the authorities.

Mr. Amer is the first Egyptian blogger to face trial. A young former law student at Al-Azhar University, the seat of Sunni Islamic learning, he has been in solitary confinement since being jailed. His trial was adjourned last week until Thursday.

Read the rest of the article.

Please take the time to read Constantino Diaz-Duran’s great article which has been featured in the Columbia Spectator.

And, again, thanks to Constantino’s great efforts, a rally will be taking place tomorrow.

It’s not very often that you find a person who takes the time and effort to write press releases, start groups on social networking sites, alerts other bloggers, professors, and students, puts together a great op-ed piece, and organizes a rally in just one week for the sake of a young man he hasn’t even met. And it’s even less often that you find a person who is actually willing to drive for 9 hours just to attend this rally, which is what Mohammed Shouman thought of doing.

It is only through the efforts of such people that we are able to make Kareem’s case not only known but taken very seriously. Thank you, you’ve done an amazing job at proving that true supporters of freedom of expression can actually contribute to positive change, no matter where you are. I am positive that Kareem will be very proud to have such admirable people by his side.

On that note, we’d also like to thank Tom Palmer for alerting others about Kareem whenever the chance arrives.

Good luck with the rally, guys! And let us know how it goes.

If you’re in the area, please consider joining others at 3:30 pm in front of the Egyptian Consulate in New York to show your support for Kareem.

NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2007 – Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer’s trial is scheduled for this Thursday. An informal group of New York City residents are joining together in solidarity for a peaceful protest of the government of Egypt’s treatment of Kareem, and to plead for all charges against him to be dropped. The protest has been organized for this Wednesday, January 31 at 3:30pm, in front of the Egyptian Consulate in New York.

Kareem has been imprisoned in Alexandria, Egypt, since November, after posting to his website statements calling for equal rights for women and protection of free speech, as well as other statements critical of the Egyptian government. He has been denied bail and faces a long prison sentence if convicted of the charges held against him. The New York group is trying to mobilize the national news media in hopes that increased visibility of Kareem’s circumstances will pressure the Egyptian government to act responsibly.

The Egyptian Consulate in New York is located at 1110 2nd Avenue, between E. 58th and E. 59th.

For more information about Kareem Amer, visit www.freekareem.org, and to sign an online petition to the Egyptian government, visit www.petitiononline.com/kamer .

For more information about the Wednesday rally, or for media inquiries, please contact Constantino Diaz-Duran at constantino@c-dd.com, or Chris Kilmer at kilmer1979@gmail.com

If you have any press contacts, please consider sending this to them as soon as possible.

A very recent article about Kareem on Human Rights Watch -

(Cairo, January 27, 2007) Egyptian authorities should immediately drop all charges filed against a blogger for his online writings and release him without delay, Human Rights Watch said today. The trial began on January 25 of `Abd al-Karim Nabil Suleiman, better known by his pen name Karim Amer, the first Egyptian blogger to be tried for the contents of his blog. He faces up to nine years in prison.

Suleiman, a 22-year-old former student of Islamic jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, appeared before a public prosecutor on November 7, 2006, following a complaint from the university, to answer charges of spreading information disruptive of public order, incitement to hate Muslims, and insulting the president. He had frequently posted articles criticizing Islam, the authorities at Al-Azhar, and President Hosni Mubarak on his blog. Prosecutors ordered him detained pending investigation and renewed his detention four times before his trial opened at Muharram Bek Court in Alexandria on Thursday. The judge is expected to rule on the case when the court reconvenes on February 1.

Charging someone for the peaceful expression of their views is sadly not new in Egypt, said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. By curbing a blogger’s freedom to post, the government may be trying to close an important space for Egyptians to speak openly about events and issues that worry them.

Plainclothes security agents first arrested Suleiman on October 26, 2005 at his home in Muharram Bek, a district of Alexandria that days earlier had been the site of deadly sectarian riots, and held him for 12 days without charge. Four days earlier, he had posted comments on his blog criticizing the Muslim rioters and Islam. In March 2006, a disciplinary board at Al-Azhar found him guilty of blaspheming Islam and ordered him expelled from the university.

The charges against Suleiman stem from laws that contradict guarantees of free expression under international law. Article 102(bis) of the Penal Code allows for the detention of whoever deliberately diffuses news, information/data, or false or tendentious rumors, or propagates exciting publicity, if this is liable to disturb public security, spread horror among the people, or cause harm or damage to the public interest. Article 176 of the Penal Code allows for the imprisonment of whoever instigates discrimination against one of the people’s sects because of race, origin, language, or belief, if such instigation is liable to disturb public order. Article 179 allows for the detention of whoever affronts the President of the Republic.

Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Egypt became a party in 1982, guarantees the right to freedom of expression, including 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.

Article 19(3) of the ICCPR allows restriction of expression only in limited circumstances, namely in the interest of respect of the rights or reputations of others or the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals. Such restrictions must be necessary. These exceptions are narrowly framed, and the burden of demonstrating their validity rests with the state, which must justify any content ban by showing that restrictions are necessary to achieve a specific and legitimate purpose within one of the enumerated exceptions.

The Egyptian government should immediately drop all charges against Suleiman and release him, Whitson said. Suleiman is guilty of nothing but peacefully exercising his right to free speech. Instead of trying a blogger for exercising his rights to free expression, the government should repeal or amend the laws that abridge those rights.