CAIRO: A group of human rights activists are organizing a protest in front of the Egyptian mission in New York City on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 31 in support of the imprisoned Egyptian student blogger Abdel Kareem Amer. "We are joining together in solidarity for a peaceful protest against the Egyptian government's treatment of Kareem, and to plead for all charges against him to be dropped immediately, protest organizer Constantino Diaz-Durban told The Daily Star Egypt. Detained since early November by security forces, Amer is currently standing trial for charges including 'defamation of the Islamic faith' and 'posing a threat to national security'. The final court session is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 1 in Alexandria. If convicted, Amer could face up to 11 years in prison, according to his lawyer Ahmed Saif. "We are hosting this rally to show the Egyptian government that others are watching the awful treatment of this young man. As friends of Egypt, this is a simple statement by American citizens that we do not accept the way the Egyptian authorities are breaking international human rights law, Dr. Tom Palmer, Director of the Cato University in Washington, said in an interview with The Daily Star Egypt. Last week, members of the United States Congress submitted a bipartisan letter to the Egyptian Ambassador in Washington DC, demanding the release of Amer. Sources say that additional high-ranking US Congressmen are showing "considerable interest in singing the letter. .
