Blogger held over articles
2005-11-07 21:05
Cairo - An Egyptian student was arrested by security services for articles that he posted on his internet blog about recent religious violence in the city of Alexandria, said a rights group on Monday.
Taker Khater of the group said the Association for Human Rights Legal Aid (AHRLA) "today sent a letter to the attorney-general, demanding a probe into the arrest of Abdel Karim Nabil Suleiman".
He said state security forces burst into the 21-year-old's home in Alexandria on October 26 and took him away "because of his recent internet articles on the incidents" in the Mediterranean city.
Egypt's security services refused to comment on his arrest.
Christian play
The young blogger lived in Alexandria's Muharram Bek neighbourhood, where three people were killed after security forces clamped down on a protest by Muslims angry at a Christian play they deemed offensive to their faith.
The clashes, which took place on October 21, were the worst confessional violence Egypt had seen in several years and rekindled a debate on the place of the Christian Coptic minority in Egyptian society.
In his blog, Suleiman posted vitriolic articles condemning the Muslim reaction to the play and what he described as systematic oppression of the country's Christian community.
AHRLA called on the attorney-general to protect the young blogger against torture and said detaining him "contravened Egypt's laws and constitution, as well as international charters".