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Egyptian Ministry Of Interior Reveals Intentions To Hold Kareem Amer
ANHRI Calls Mubarak To Bind The Ministry To Respect The Law
Cairo 15/10/2009
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, ANHRI, Stated that it discovered the intentions of the Egyptian Interior Ministry to deprive the Egyptian Blogger Kareem Amer of his right to be released after having spent three-quarters of his term, as legally stipulated for all prisoners. Kareem has already spent three years in Borg Al Arab prison.
Officials at the Egyptian prisons department affiliate of the ministry of interior informed ANHRI lawyers that the release request submitted by ANHRI will not be approved by State Security and that the release order has to come from “high above”, indicating to the president.
Kareem has the right to be released on 5/11/2009, as he would have had completed his third year in prison , which is three quarters of the four –year term sentence after unfair investigations and trials on the background of opinion articles he published on his blog and on “Al Hewar Al Motamaden” website.
Though the cassation court will issue its ruling on the appeal submitted by Kareem’s lawyers at ANHRI on 20/10/2009, and though ANHRI lawyers and defenders of freedom of expression in Egypt and world wide hope that the cassation court will be fair enough to order a retrial for Kareem, yet he sill has the right to be released after having spent three-quarters of the term irrespective of the cassation ruling.
ANHRI called “President Mubarak to instruct the minister of interior to set Kareem free, especially that the ministry has released the police officer Islam Nabih, who had been convicted of torture.
Nabih benefited from the legal stipulation of release after spending three-quarter the term as well as he was back to his work as a police officer. There is a big difference between a prisoner of conscience and a police officer who had been convicted of one of the most shameful and ruthless crimes; torture”.
While ANHRI received over 600 birthday cards and support letters for Kareem, State Security Service stifles him by banning visits since March 2009 putting him up in a double prison.
ANHRI calls on all defenders of freedom of expression and human rights organizations in Egypt and world wide to address the Egyptian President and the Egyptian Minister of Interior not to forbid Kareem from his right to freedom after spending three years in one of Egypt’s worst prisons; Borg Al Arab.
Please write to
Mr. President Mohamed Hosny Mubarak
President of The Arab Republic of Egypt.
Abdin Palace, Cairo, Egypt.
Fax : (202) 239 019 98
Email : webmaster@presidency.gov
Mr. Habib Al Adley
Minister of Interior
Sheikh Rihan St, 11461, Cairo, Egypt .
Fax : (202) 279 483 00
Email : center@iscmi.gov.eg
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