CAIRO: An Egyptian blogger who served his prison term is still under detention and being beaten by Egyptian security officers, two human rights groups said Wednesday. In a statement, the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said Abdel Kareem Nabil, known by his blogging name of Kareem Amer, has been "subjected to repeated beatings" by an officer at the State Security Investigation office in Alexandria. Amer was arrested in 2006 and later convicted by an Alexandria court on charges of insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak. A student at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, Amer was expelled from college because he used to criticize the state-run religious university, which he accused of promoting extremist ideas, and Mubarak, whom he referred to as a dictator. The group said Amer had been released from Burj al-Arab Prison on Nov. 6 where he had been held for four years. He was subsequently re-arrested by the security men in Alexandria without charges. In New York, the Committee to Protect Journalists also called on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Amer as well as for the investigation of the security officer who reportedly assaulted him Tuesday. "There is no legal basis for (Kareem) Amer's detention beyond his court-imposed sentence," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. "It's alarming that a law enforcement officer would feel he could attack someone with impunity. The assault should be investigated, and charges should be brought against the officer." Amer was the first blogger in Egypt to be convicted explicitly for his work.
