An Egyptian blogger received a four year sentence this week for insulting Islam and his president. Many political bloggers are deeply concerned by this news of Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman’s imprisonment.
Reporters Without Borders, the press watchdog organisation, condemned the decision. They said: “Almost three years ago to the day, President Mubarak promised to abolish prison sentences for press offences.
“Suleiman’s conviction and sentence is a message of intimidation to the rest of the Egyptian blogosphere, which had emerged in recent years as an effective bulwark against the regime’s authoritarian excesses.”
Dalia Ziada, a blogger involved with the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, explained that Kareem’s conviction remains the first time an Egyptian blogger has been arrested for writing on his blog.
She said: “It sends a chilling message to bloggers of all persuasions in Egypt and across the Middle East. We are not free to express ourselves openly on our websites.”
The latest on this came be found at this site campaigning for his release.
A New Egypt highlights the surprise of many who did not believe he would receive such a severe sentence.
Meanwhile back here in the UK, the announcement by Tony Blair this week that he is to withdraw 1,600 troops from Iraq has unsurprisingly led many bloggers to dive to their keyboards. This was coupled with the news that Prince Harry will be deployed to the Gulf state. Septicisle said: “The whole media circus surrounding his trip to southern Basra is so insulting and demeaning for the average soldier. Their work has been almost taken for granted.”
Michael Meacher’s decision to stand against Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party prompted a torrent of responses on various blogs. Blairwatch said: “Meacher will bring attention to the alternative policies that are overlooked by the media and raise the profile of the left of the party, so in that respect Meacher’s challenge is welcome news.”
And the Environment Secretary David Miliband has come under fire this week from Labour
Humanist who asked why Miliband has linked to a mere three Labour sites on his
blog. He said: “David, this is a poor show.” Perhaps Miliband likes to read Tory blogs a lot more than anything else.
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