ALEXANDRIAN BLOGGER AT RISK OF JAIL TIME

UNCLAS CAIRO 000198 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NSC STAFF FOR WATERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF EG SUBJECT: ALEXANDRIAN BLOGGER AT RISK OF JAIL TIME REF: A. 2006 CAIRO 7109 ¶B. 2005 CAIRO 8700 ¶C. 2005 CAIRO 8498 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (U) THIS IS AN APP ALEXANDRIA MESSAGE. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: EGYPTIAN BLOGGER ABDEL KARIM NABIL SOLIMAN FACES A FINAL HEARING AND SENTENCING IN AN EGYPTIAN COURT ON JANUARY 25 ON CHARGES THAT INCLUDE "INCITING HATRED OF ISLAM AND INSULTING THE PROPHET MOHAMED," "DEFAMING THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC," AND "SPREADING RUMORS THAT COULD DISRUPT PUBLIC PEACE AND THAT DAMAGE EGYPT'S REPUTATION" IN ENTRIES TO HIS ARABIC-LANGUAGE BLOG. HIS LAWYERS FEAR HE WILL BE CONVICTED; IT IS UNCLEAR EXACTLY WHAT THE SENTENCE MIGHT BE, BUT COULD BE AS LONG AS NINE YEARS IMPRISONMENT. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) ABDEL KARIM NABIL SOLIMAN, AN ALEXANDRIA-BASED BLOGGER, WAS ARRESTED IN EARLY NOVEMBER 2006 FOR WRITINGS ON HIS BLOG. HE HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF DETENTION, WITHOUT CHARGE, SINCE LATE 2005 (REFTELS) AFTER POSTING ENTRIES ON HIS ARABIC-LANGUAGE BLOG CRITICAL OF BOTH THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN EGYPT, SPECIFICALLY THE ROLE OF ISLAMISTS IN INCITING CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RIOTS IN ALEXANDRIA DURING RAMADAN 2005 AND OF PRESIDENT MUBARAK,S SOLICITING OF OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT BY RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES FOR HIS 2005 REELECTION CAMPAIGN. ¶4. (SBU) ABDEL KARIM,S BLOG IS KNOWN FOR SEVERE CRITICISM OF RELIGIOUS DOGMATISM THAT HE VIEWS AS UNRAVELING EGYPT'S TRADITIONALLY MULTI-RELIGIOUS SOCIETY. THESE WRITINGS GOT HIM EXPELLED FROM AL AZHAR UNIVERSITY IN 2006 WHERE HE HAD BEEN A STUDENT OF LAW AT THE UNIVERSITYS DAMANHOUR CAMPUS (ROUGHLY 25 MILES SE OF ALEXANDRIA). THE EXPULSION LETTER FROM AL AZHAR ACCUSED ABDEL KARIM OF "INAPPROPRIATE STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS THAT ARE DISHONORABLE, DISCREDIT RELIGIOUS MORALS AND HONESTY, AND ARE CONSIDERED BLASPHEMOUS." HE WAS ACCUSED ALSO OF HAVING INSULTED THE GRAND IMAM OF AL AZHAR, SHAYKH TANTAWI, IN HIS CRITICISM OF THE IMAM'S ENDORSEMENT OF PRESIDENT MUBARAK DURING THE LATTER'S REELECTION CAMPAIGN IN 2005. THESE ALLEGATIONS WERE LATER FORWARDED BY AL AZHAR OFFICIALS TO THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, WHO IN TURN ORDERED ABDEL KARIM,S ARREST AND TRIAL. ¶5. (SBU) ABDEL KARIM,S TRIAL IS THE SUBJECT OF A SOMEWHAT TENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN AMONG EGYPTIAN BLOGGERS AND FREEDOM ACTIVISTS -- TENTATIVE DUE TO THE SENSITIVITY OF THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM, PARTICULARLY THOSE REGARDING ALLEGED INSULTING OF ISLAM. THE CASE HAS BEEN IGNORED BY STATE MEDIA, AND IS NOT WIDELY KNOWN AMONG THE PUBLIC. LAWYERS AND SUPPORTERS EXPECT A CONVICTION IN THE CASE, BUT HOPE FOR LENIENCY FROM THE JUDGE IN REDUCING A SENTENCE THAT COULD BE AS LONG AS NINE YEARS. PHOTOS TAKEN BY SUPPORTERS DURING BRIEF VISITS INDICATE ABDEL KARIM'S HEALTH HAS SUFFERED DURING HIS DETENTION SINCE NOVEMBER. MUCH OF HIS TIME IN THE HADRA PRISON IN ALEXANDRIA HAS BEEN SPENT IN A SOLITARY CELL, REPORTEDLY AT ABDEL KARIM'S OWN REQUEST AS A RESULT OF SEVERE HARASSMENT AND ABUSE BY OTHER PRISONERS ANGERED BY THE ALLEGATIONS OF ANTI-ISLAMIC STATEMENTS AGAINST HIM. ¶6. (SBU) LAWYERS FOR ABDEL KARIM AND SUPPORTERS FOLLOWING THE CASE EXPRESSED FEAR OF A CONVICTION IN THE CASE IN JANUARY 24 CONVERSATIONS WITH APP ALEXANDRIA PRINCIPAL OFFICER AND FSN. ONE OF HIS ATTORNEYS, PART OF AN EGYPTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS LEGAL DEFENSE COMMITTEE REPRESENTING ABDEL KARIM ON A PRO BONO BASIS, SAID THAT PROSECUTORS OBTAINED WHAT THEY VIEW AS A CONFESSION DURING ONE OF ABDEL KARIM,S INTERROGATIONS. THE ATTORNEY ALSO REPORTED THAT THE JUDGE IN THE CASE IS KNOWN TO BE TOUGH. HE EXPECTED A CONVICTION WITH A SENTENCE OF SOMETHING LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM OF 9 YEARS FOR THE THREE SEPARATE CHARGES AGAINST ABDEL KARIM. AN ALEXANDRIA-BASED BLOGGER FOLLOWING THE CASE TOLD ALEXANDRIA APP PRINCIPAL OFFICER THAT AN APPEAL HAD BEEN LAUNCHED THROUGH A NETWORK OF EGYPTIAN BLOGS TO SUPPORT ABDEL KARIM AT HIS SENTENCING. HE EXPECTED A GROUP OF "UP TO A HUNDRED" TO APPEAR, MOSTLY TRAVELING FROM CAIRO, AND AIMED AT PRESSURING THE JUDGE IN THE CASE TO GO LIGHT IN HIS SENTENCING. THIS CONTACT ALSO EXPECTED A CONVICTION. ¶7. (SBU) POST WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW ABDEL KARIM'S CASE AND THE OUTCOME OF HIS SENTENCING, AS SOON AS IT IS ANNOUNCED. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE SENTENCING HEARING SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 25 WAS DELAYED BY ONE WEEK FROM ITS ORIGINAL JANUARY 18 DATE AND COULD BE POSTPONED AGAIN. RICCIARDONE