More than 14 human rights organizations have condemned the decision of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Alexandria to extend the detention of student blogger Kareem Amer for an additional 15 days pending further investigation into his online writings in which he reportedly criticizes Islam. In a press release issued on Nov. 11, the organizations called upon the Egyptian government to immediately release Amer and guarantee his right to freedom of expression. The arbitrary accusations against Kareem Amer indicate the authorities inclination to detain Kareem simply for expressing views contradictory to theirs. The public prosecutor told Kareem that if he did not abandon his views, even though personal, he may be imprisoned, representatives from the organizations argue. According to Dalia Ziada from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the investigator told Amer that "he should reconsider his secular opinions and change his mind in order to be able to get out of jail. When Kareem insisted on his right to freedom of expression, the investigator ordered his re-detainment for another 15 days with the hope that the stay in prison might push Kareem to change his mind. Furthermore, Amer is currently sharing a cell with "serious criminals which could potentially threaten his life, his lawyer Rawda Amer stresses. A former student at Al-Azhar University, Amer was arrested on Nov. 7. Amer was expelled from the university in March this year following intense interrogations by his teachers on his secular thoughts and religious critiques. Amer is currently accused of: Spreading data and malicious rumors that disrupt public security ; defaming the president of Egypt ; incitement to overthrow the regime upon hatred and contempt ; and incitement to hate Islam and breach of the public peace standards. The Daily Star Egypt contacted the Ministry of the Interior for further information on why Amer was arrested and whether blogs were being monitored. A spokesman asked that questions be faxed to the Ministry. At press time, the Ministry had not commented or responded to further queries from The Daily Star Egypt.
