ALEXANDRIA: The trial of student blogger Abdel Karim Soliman Amer who has been detained by state security since November because of his controversial writings on Islam is scheduled to start today in Moharram Beik Court in Alexandria. A former student of Al-Azhar University, Amer, 22 is currently detained in Al-Hadra prison in Alexandria 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 . Accused of railing against Islam, he was expelled from the University in March 2006 and reportedly questioned by Al-Azhar professors before he was arrested by state authorities. Amer's detention pending investigation has been renewed several times and he has been kept in continuous police custody since his arrest in early November. His arrest has sparked criticism among national as well as international human rights groups. Amer is targeted simply because he expressed his own views, Executive Director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Gamal Eid, said. Freedom of expression is a basic human right. We believe that Kareem Amer has the absolute right to express his personal views. This case is a clear violation of universal human rights principles, Amer s lawyer Rawda Amed, said in a previous interview. The Daily Star Egypt had previously attempted to contact the Ministry of Interior concerning Amer's status. Several faxes of queries have not been answered and a ministry official who answered a request for a phone interview declined to comment.
