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.

In a New York Times article about Wikipedia’s use in Alexandria, Egypt, Noam Cohen writes:

Hanging over the event is the question of Internet freedom in Egypt. Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and a bit of a rock star at these conferences, gave a talk about freedom of speech. Freedom of speech in the past, he said, largely involved freedom of the press; today, however, with blogs and collaborative projects like Wikipedia, freedom of speech was much more personal.

His talk linked the growth of Wikipedia to a culture of freedom, and, at least indirectly was indicating that Arabic Wikipedia may be hampered by such restrictions. “It is hard to measure the impact of arresting bloggers, as has happened here in Egypt,” he said. He was referring to the case of Abdel Kareem Nabil, a former student at Al Azhar University, was sentenced in 2007 to three years in prison on charges of insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad and inciting sectarian strife, and another year for insulting President Hosni Mubarak.

Mr. Wales said there was no doubt that such arrests had an indirect impact, making the general public more leery of contributing to projects like Wikipedia.

“Kareem Amer,” he said, using the arrested blogger’s pen name, “has become a cause around the world.” He then showed Mr. Nabil’s English Wikipedia page. “Not the best strategy for keeping his ideas out of the public eye.”

You can read the full article here.

Joshua Curry recently wrote this article, where he incorrectly noted:

Iran arrested Kareem Amer for a sophomoric rant against his university and gave him a four-year prison sentence. His lawyers say since then, his teeth have been smashed and he’s beaten regularly.

Iran has nothing to do with Kareem’s case. The government responsible is Egypt’s.

BBC’s “The World” is going to feature a new podcast concerning the upcoming 2-week long letter campaign for Kareem, detailed by Curt from the Committee to Protect Bloggers here.

Curt and I (Esra’a) will be discussing the Flood the Jail with Mail campaign [click here for info] which goes live on Monday, April 7th. We encourage everyone to get involved!

Visit the website and make sure you listen to Friday’s show to learn more about the campaign and Kareem’s situation in general.

Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb, who has written about Kareem’s case before, calls his readers to participate in our new campaign “Flood the Jail with Mail”. He points out the necessity of international support for Kareem:

The one thing that’s made a big difference for Kareem, his supporters say, has been international attention. Now those supporters are calling for a two week campaign of snail-mail sent to the jail.

The goal is to let Kareem, and his jailers, know that the situation is far from forgotten. Past mail and media coverage have also improved physical conditions in the jail.

To let this campaign be really successful, it is important to let as many people as possible know about it. So if you own a blog, follow Marshall’s example and write about the campaign, tell your friends about Kareem!

The following is the translation of an article I wrote for the online youth magazine of the German weekly “Die Zeit” (The Time), Zuender. It was published three days after the first anniversary of Kareem’s prison sentence, on February 25. Dealing not only with his case, but also with the situation of bloggers in the Middle East in general it is devoted to the memorial of Kareem and was written as a contribution to the worldwide op-ed day campaign.

The original article can be found here.

„We blog, because we believe“

One year ago Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer was sent to prison because he had insulted the Islam.

by Simon Columbus

His fingers form the victory sign, but Kareem Amer has not won, on the contrary: On February 22 of the last year, the student of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo was sentenced to an accumulated four years in prison. Three years for allegedly insulting Islam, another year for defaming the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

What had happened? On October 22, 2005 riots against Christian believers occurred in front of a Coptic church in Alexandria. Three people were killed in those days.

Kareem Amer, who’s real name is Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman, described the incident in his blog as attacks by thieves and looters – the religious conflict were nothing but an excuse. And he goes on: „put Islam on trial and sentence it and its symbols (…) so that you can be sure that what happened yesterday will never be repeated again.“

Hard words in a country where Islam is the state religion and the Sharia the base of the legislation. Even many of those who are now fighting for Kareem Amer’s release don’t agree with his polemic.

„As Muslims, we certainly do not agree with what he said and the manner in which he said it in“, says Esra’a Al-Shafei from Bahrain, „however we do feel the need to protect his basic human rights for the sake of all of us.“

Therefore Esra’a Al-Shafei has initiated the Campaign „Free Kareem!“. On the Internet, the supporters collect informations about the prisoner and organize worldwide protests.

Kareem Amer is one of many: A rising generation of educated young sons and daughters from the Middle east has claimed the internet as a way of expression. Foaud Al-Farhan, another jailed blogger from Saudi Arabia, says what this generation thinks: „We blog, because we believe we have opinions that deserve to be heard, and minds that should be respected.“

Many of the young bloggers do not write only about politics, but most of them mention political topics again and again. They want to discuss and to exchange themselves, about their lives as well as about the problems of the Near and Middle East.

For Fouad Al-Farhan, this is only possible through forums, social networks and blogs on the internet, because there were no free media or freedom to assemble in the autocratically lead countries of the region.

The current annual report of the non-government organization Reporters without Borders comes to the conclusion that there is no press freedom in any of the Near and Middle Eastern countries: „Flattery is still the best way to keep one’s job and freedom.“

All the more influential have become the young bloggers, who are able to write what they really think. They bring problems to public attention which are ignored by the state-controlled media. Many of the work under nicknames, use anonymizers to protect themselves.

About a dozen detentions and threats of bloggers through Egyptian officers were counted by the Initiative for an Open Arab Net in 2007. Also in the Near and Middle East, the war against terror gives an excuse to legitimate raids and blocks of websites.

Repeatedly, bloggers became victims of political conflicts: Ahmed Al-Omran, one of the most prominent Saudi bloggers, believes that his compatriot Fouad Al-Farhan is arrested as a scapegoat. He had gotten in the middle of a conflict between King Abdullah, who is pressing for reforms, and his conservative officials.

Kareem Amer had a similar fate: Most probably he is detained because the police tried to part the Egyptian blogosphere in Islamist members of the Muslim Brotherhood and liberal reformists.

Kareem Amer was expelled from his family just before he was sent to jail – his father even called for the death sentence. Because Egyptian prisoners depend on their families for their daily needs, Esra’a Al-Shafei and the team of „Free Kareem!“ collect donors for him. In a letter from prison, the detained let them know as a thank: „Prison didn’t change me“.

‘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.”

From Amnesty International:

One year ago, Egyptian blogger Karim Amer was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for the “crime” of publishing on the internet material critical of Islam and President Mubarak.

The then 23-year-old former al-Azhar University student was sentenced on 22 February 2007 and the Court of Appeal confirmed the sentence on 12 March of the same year. Amnesty International described the sentence as yet another slap in the face of freedom of expression in Egypt.

Amnesty International considers Karim Amer to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned on account of the peaceful expression of his views. The organisation condemned the four-year sentence he received and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Karim Amer, who is serving his prison sentence in Borg Al-Arab Prison, Alexandria, wrote in his letters to one of his legal counsels that he was beaten on 24 October 2007.

Karim Amer said he was punched and kicked by a prisoner and a prison guard under the supervision of a prison investigations officer. One of his teeth was broken and he was badly bruised. He was then taken to a disciplinary cell, hand-cuffed and his legs tied up and beaten again by the same two individuals on the orders of the prison investigations officer.

He also wrote that another prisoner unknown to him was brought to the cell, stripped naked and beaten by the same individuals in his presence. He was then threatened that he would receive the same treatment if he intervened again in the prisons’ affairs. Karim Amer said he advised Eritreans in the prison to keep their money after he had discovered that one Eritrean cell-mate to whom he serves as an interpreter lost US$100.

Karim Amer wrote that he was examined by the prison’s doctor, but there was no mention of his broken tooth in the medical report. He also said that he was not allowed to file a complaint about what happened.

Read more and take action.

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]

Latest press release from RSF concerning Kareem:

Reporters Without Borders firmly condemns the way the authorities behave towards bloggers and it reiterates its call for the release of Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, a blogger also known by the pseudonym of Kareem Amer, who was sentenced on 22 February 2007 to four years in prison - three for “inciting hatred of Islam” and one for defaming President Hosni Mubarak.

“Kareem Amer should not have been obliged to become the symbol of repression of the Egyptian blogosphere,” the press freedom organisation said. “He should have been able to continue blogging on the situation in Egypt. He was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison for an entry posted on his blog. We call for his release and we appeal to Internet users to ensure that the straggle of Egypt’s bloggers is heard.”

Kareem Amer has been mistreated at Borg El Arab prison, 40 km outside Alexandria, where he is serving his sentence. In letters to his lawyers he has spoken of being “shut in an isolation cell for 10 days” and of “physical torture hushed up by the prison doctor, who has altered my medical record.”

Arrested for the first time in October 2005 for posting anti-religious comments on his blog (www.karam903.blogspot.com), he spent 18 days in detention and his computer hard drive was seized, but he was not charged.

He was arrested again in late 2006 and was tried four months later by Alexandria’s Moharram Bek court. At the second hearing, on 1 February 2007, he was accused of apostasy by Mohamed Dawoud, a lawyer appearing in an independent capacity, who called for the “maximum sentence for him who has insulted, God, His Prophet and the Koran.”

Before his second arrest, Kareem Amer often contributed to discussion forums on websites such as www.rezgar.com. His goal, after finishing his studies, was to create a human rights NGO, one that defended Muslim women against all forms of discrimination and violence. He was awarded the Reporters Without Borders / Fondation de France prize in the Internet category on 5 December 2007.

Reporters Without Borders wrote to the Egyptian justice minister on 22 January 2007 asking him to intercede on behalf of Kareem Amer. The organisation also urged the United Nations not to let Egypt host next year’s Internet Governance Forum. No answer was ever received to the letter and the forum is to go ahead in Egypt.

Sign the RSF petition to call for his release.