November 06, 2008
Egypt's Imprisoned Blogger Passes Second Year in Jail
Kareem Amer was sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and the country's president, Hosni Mubarak, in Egypt's first prosecution of a blogger. Kareem Amer criticized his college on his blog as "the university of terrorism" and Mubarak's regime a "symbol of dictatorship".
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said today in a statement that Kareem Amer has now completed his second year in prison....Kareem has delivered a message saying how he is feeling at the moment: " I dream of leaving the prison…but I will never let anybody bargain away my freedom and destiny, even if I am forced to spend my whole life in prison, freedom of my thoughts and my writing are much more valuable to me and I will never bargain them away, whatever the price”.
Gamal Eid, executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, who is now visiting Kareem in Borg Al Arab prison in Alexandria said:
"ANHRI denounces the continuing injustice brought about by delaying the appeal which was presented to the court sixteen months ago. These procedures should not take more than six months. ANHRI call on the public prosecutor to consider the appeal immediately and investigate allegations concerning the torture of Kareem at Borg Al Arab prison"
