4 September 2008

Alert

Imprisoned author Karim Amer in poor state of health, harassed and denied basic rights


Incident details

Karim Amer (Karim Ameer, Abdel Karim Suliman Amer, Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman)

writer(s)

(ANHRI/IFEX) - ANHRI reports from the Borg Al-Arab prison, in the Alexandrian desert, that Karim Amer, an author imprisoned for exercising his freedom of expression, has been subjected to significant ill-treatment.

ANHRI's lawyer Rawda Ahmed visited Amer in prison on 30 August 2008. She was shocked to find him in a poor state of health. He told her that the prison administration has prevented him from going out of his cell to the prison yard to gain exposure to sunlight like other prisoners and that he has been harassed by fellow prison inmates, who were ordered to do so by the administration. Some of his books have also been seized from his cell.

Ahmed noticed that Amer suffers from double-standard treatment in prison. For example, during visits, he is treated according to the strict rules that apply to political prisoners, but he is held in the criminal prisoners division, where he is treated like them and, therefore, deprived of his rights as a political prisoner.

The ill-treatment of Karim Amer is not just from the prison administration's side. It has extended to the Prosecution Office, which has declined to file his case, which his lawyers from ANHRI presented ten months ago. Since then, no investigation has taken place, even though the case has been brought to the attention of the Prosecutor General.

ANHRI demands that Karim Amer be treated like any ordinary prisoner inside the jail, with neither special treatment nor constraints, until the court rules on his appeal. ANHRI also expresses hope that the court will be fair after the experience of Amer's trials at the First Degree Court and Court of Appeal.

Updates the Amer case: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/91444



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More on this case

Blogger Kareem Amer released from prison 17 November 2010 Interior Ministry reveals intention to keep blogger in prison 16 October 2009 UN experts conclude blogger Kareem Amer is being arbitrarily detained, a violation of international human rights standards 25 March 2009 Blogger's health deteriorates in prison; another blogger marks second anniversary in prison 11 November 2008 New proof of innocence of blogger imprisoned for insulting president 6 March 2008 Jailed blogger tortured after uncovering case of corruption inside prison 12 November 2007 Prosecutors obstruct appeal of blogger Karim Amer's conviction 13 April 2007 Appeals court upholds blogger's conviction for "insulting Islam and president" 14 March 2007 Young blogger sentenced to four years in prison for "disparaging religion" and "defaming the president" 22 February 2007 Imprisoned blogger faces up to nine years in prison for posting articles critical of Islam 25 January 2007 Blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman has spent six weeks in custody 19 December 2006 Blogger's detention extended for another 15 days 22 November 2006 Blogger dismissed from university, detained and interrogated, faces possible imprisonment for expressing secular views 13 November 2006

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Egypt
Egypt

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