Positive Liberty

Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman (site mostly in Arabic) has been imprisoned for advocating women’s rights, for challenging Muslim orthodoxy, and for criticizing the Egyptian government.

Here are the details of the case, which appear — naturally — at another blog. Silence one, and a hundred more spring up:

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) condemned today the prosecutorial decision to hold in custody the Egyptian blogger Abdel Karim Suliman Amer - known as “Kareem Amer” - for four days pending investigation. Al-Azhar University interrogated Kareem after dismissing him in March and then filed a communiqué against him to the Public Prosecutor Office because of his secular writings.

Security forces illegally arrested Kareem in October 2005 for twelve days on account of his online writings about the sectarian strife that took place in Alexandria last year. After releasing him Al-Azhar University wherein he is a registered student dismissed him because of his secular thoughts. Afterwards, the university filed a communiqué to the Public Prosecutor Office against Kareem. While prosecutorial interrogations, Kareem insisted on his right to freedom of expression in respect with his secular ideas. Consequently, the prosecutor decided to keep him in custody for renewable four days pending investigation.

The interrogation process witnessed some violations by the Public Prosecutor Bureau, according to human rights lawyer of HRinfo who represented Kareem before the prosecutor. The monitored violations of the Public Prosecutor include the illegal attendance of three interrogators, laughing at Kareem while interrogating him, and addressing illegal questions to him (e.g. do you fast in Ramadan? Do you practice prayer?). It is evident that the interrogations with Kareem lacked integrity.

A student dismissed from a university for “secular thoughts:” The very act makes the institution unfit to be called a university in the modern era. That it would then inform on the student and cooperate in a government inquiry only makes the situation the more deplorable.

In cases like these, where the government fails, individuals must stand up for themselves, and we all must look out for the rights of one another: which are really our own rights, too. That’s why I’m asking you to sign the petition to free Kareem. I’m proud to say that my name appears on the very first page, and I urge the readers of this site to sign their names and spread the word. Tom Palmer, my colleague at the Cato Institute, has also been following Kareem’s imprisonment closely.

If you feel that direct contact would carry more weight than signing a petition, here is some useful contact information:

Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt
3521 International Court, NW, Washington DC 20008
Telephone: (202) 895 5400
Fax: (202) 244-4319
E-mail: embassy@egyptembdc.org
URL: http://www.egyptembassy.us

(More contact information is available here.)

Please be respectful and well-reasoned in all your contacts with the Egyptian government. Remember that our case is the stronger one, and that only the weaker party must resort to name-calling or abuse. As the ancient playwright put it, the very fact that Zeus must reach for his thunderbolts is proof enough that he has no argument.

Remember also that a man’s freedom is at stake here, not just in the abstract, but in the real world, and what you say might make the difference.

Trackback URI |