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Egyptian blogger gets 4 years in jail

He is guilty of insulting Islam and Mubarak. A crackdown is feared.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published February 23, 2007

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt - An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt's president, sending a chill through fellow Internet writers who fear a government crackdown.

Abdel Kareem Nabil, 22, a former student at Egypt's Al-Azhar University, had been a vocal secularist and sharp critic of conservative Muslims in his blog. He often lashed out at Al-Azhar - the most prominent religious center in Sunni Islam - calling it "the university of terrorism" and accusing it of encouraging extremism.

Nabil's lawyer, Ahmed Seif el-Islam, said he would appeal the verdict, adding it will "terrify other bloggers and have a negative impact on freedom of expression in Egypt." Nabil had faced a possible maximum sentence of nine years in prison.

His conviction brought a flood of condemnations from international and Egyptian human rights groups, as well as fellow government critics on the Internet.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the United States is "very concerned" about the sentence imposed on Nabil. While the U.S. government has great respect for all religions, Islam included, "the role of freedom of expression is critical for the development of a democratic and prosperous society," deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based media rights group, said Internet writers and editors are the fastest growing segment of imprisoned journalists, with 49 behind bars as of December.

Judge Ayman al-Akazi sentenced Nabil to three years in prison for insulting Islam and the prophet Mohammed and inciting sectarian strife and another year for insulting President Hosni Mubarak.

Nabil, sitting in the defendant's pen, did not react as the verdict was read and made no comment as he was led to a prison truck outside. Seconds after the door was closed, a slap from inside the truck and a scream were heard.

Egypt, a top U.S. ally in the Mideast, arrested a number of bloggers last year, most of them for connections to the pro-democracy reform movement. Nabil was put on trial while other bloggers were freed - a sign of the sensitivity of his writings on religion.

[Last modified February 23, 2007, 01:20:16]