In our previous post, we wrote that the most recent “The World” podcast will feature a discussion about the “Flood the Jail with Mail” campaign which is co-organized by the wonderful and hard working Committee to Protect Bloggers (CPB) This podcast features the director of the Free Kareem Coalition (myself), Curt from CPB, and Elijah Zarwan, a Cairo-based human rights researcher.
You can now listen to the short 4 minute talk here. [MP3]
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“.
Unfortunately, the other Free Kareem groups are not committed enough to post consistent updates. For this purpose, we have decided to create another Free Kareem group, one that serves as the official Facebook group of the Free Kareem campaign.
So if you expect updates, rally information, notifications of new initiatives concerning Kareem, please disregard the outdated Facebook groups for Kareem and add this one instead.
We are happy to announce the launch of a joint mail campaign in support of Kareem together with the Committee to Protect Bloggers.
From April 7 through April 21, both organizations are encouraging their readers to go analogue and write Kareem a letter or postcard.
There are several reasons for another analogue campaign:
First, we’ve organized demonstrations and public outreach events all over the world but nothing that targets Kareem directly. It is time for a campaign that focuses on him in personal way! He really enjoys letters and they make a difference to him, as he has stated before. Second, a sufficient amount of such mail will remind Egyptian authorities that Kareem, bloggers in general and prisoners of conscience over all, are not alone. Remember, when Kareem was being tortured several months ago, the focus of international media was instrumental in stopping it. And finally, this campaign means an opportunity for us to really do something directly for Kareem.
We have asked you to write to Kareem before, and by all means continue it! But now we are especially asking you to send him at least one letter between April 7 and April 21. During this period, let’s “flood the jail with mail”!
Below you find the address in English, followed by a picture of it in Arabic. It goes without saying that both versions (if you are writing from a non-Arabic country) must be on the mail to assure that it gets delivered.
Alexandria
Borg Al-Arab Prison
Room 1 Section 22
Prisoner Abdul Kareem Nabil Suleiman
The Arab Republic of EgyptKareem’s address in Arabic (mandatory to be included on the envelope)
Please also have a look at Alexandra Sandels’ article about this campaign at Menassat, which includes statements by Esra’a and Wa7damasrya as well as some background information.
If you need more information about the “Flood the Jail with Mail” campaign, please feel free to contact us.
According to a recent press release from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information:
On 3 March 2008, one year after blogger Kareem Amer was sent to prison, HRinfo stated that the campaign launched by some independent newspapers has proven that Kareem Amer is innocent of the charge for which he was convicted: insulting the president. Amer was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment over an article that reported on an Islamic charity assembly in Damanhour city of Delta, stating that this assembly had described the president of the Republic as the “prince of believers” (like a Khalifa in old Islamic history).
The General Prosecution accused Amer of insulting the president, considered a crime under article 179 of the penal code, in an article written in 2005 entitled: “Vote for Mubarak. . . the prince of believers!”.
During the presidential elections, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar had called for support for President Mubarak, but the other Sheikhs refused. A group called “Prophet Mohammed Sunni Group of Supporters” then hung a large placard in Damanhour city that called on people to vote for Mubarak referring to him as “the prince of believers”. Amer contended that he had merely reported the facts when referencing this phrase.
In late February 2008, independent newspapers started to report on a charity assembly whose chairman insisted on referring to the president as the “prince of disbelievers.” This substantiates what was reported in Amer’s article, and his claim that it was not he who applied that phrase to the president.
Gamal Eid, executive director of Hrinfo said: “Kareem Amer was punished for criticizing an act that took place three years ago. Just today, he was proved to be right by ‘Al-Karama’ and ‘Al-Masry Al-Youm’ newspapers. This matter reveals how such articles of the penal code are flexible and vague and can be interpreted in the interest of, or against, anybody. Kareem Amer deserves to be acquitted of that accusation and we shall reject all other accusations against him when the case comes to the cassation court.”
The heart of the desert, the prison of Borg el Arab where Kareem is imprisoned.
Shahinaz, an Egyptian blogger, Rawda, Kareem’s lawyer, and Doa’a Sultan, a journalist, drove all the way from Cairo to Borg el Arab prison in order to visit Kareem and see how he’s doing. The prison is situated in a cruel, dirty, and isolated location.
Shahinaz tells us that Kareem is doing good and was very glad to see them all. They spent most of the time encouraging him, and mentioned the latest worldwide rallies which he was very happy to hear about. He thanks everyone who was involved. Likely due to the international outrage which took place the last time we were aware of his torture, Kareem is no longer being physically abused in prison.
Kareem has been receiving several letters from abroad which really help keep him in good spirits. The Free Kareem Coalition is considering launching another letter campaign, calling for people across the world to send letters to Kareem and making sure he’s not alone.
If you would like to write to him, you may use this address:
Abdel Kareem Nabil Suliman
Borg el Arab prison
Section 22, Room 1
Alexandria Egypt
You can also FedEx small packages or books to this address.
Kareem will also be featured in a local newspaper. He has spent some time writing down his thoughts and this will hopefully be translated as soon as possible by the coalition. When Doa’a asked him about his torture in November, he had a very hard time dealing with the memory. “We could see how much this cruelty traumatized him,” says Shahinaz.
The three young women spent the full day to visit Kareem. They left Cairo at 7am and came back that same night at 7pm. We thank them all greatly for having the courage and for taking the time to visit Kareem in prison, which surely meant a lot to him.
‘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.”
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.
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