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Thursday, 23 Nov 2006
After a gruelling 4 days arrest for no crime and without justifiable cause, blogger Ramy Siam was finally released from police custody in Sharqiyah, where he was transferred to for no reason either. I am gald he is released though: Kafarah ya Ramy!
In other news, Abdel Karim is still in prison, and his arrest got renewed for 15 more days. This time around he tried to recant his writings, but it's already too late to do that, and I fear the political has turned personal when it comes to his case: They will make an example out of him this time. Not to mention, the judge who renewed his arrest stated his fear that he might be able to escape the country if released. His story might be the perfect example of "Be careful what you wish for", because this is more or less what he wanted, as many in the egyptian blogsphere know. He wanted assylum out of Egypt, and he figured that the best way to do it is to make himself a hero, which is why he wouldn't let the lawyer do her job nor did he tell the persecutor what he wanted to hear to get out when he faced him last time two weeks ago. As Haitham who was there told me, Abdel Karim didn't seem to care about the arrest and more about the campaign out there to release him. "It's the most important thing in all of this", he told Haitham, which prompted Haitham to lose almost all sympathy for him.
The sad thing is, Abdel Karim's plan is flawed for one main reason: He doesn't have a passport. And in order for him to get a passport, he needs military draft clearance, and since he has male brothers, he will surely get drafted, as the military-draft law in Egypt states. And given all that he wrote and said, if he gets drafted, they will fuck him up in there. He will be under the military's mercy for anywhere from a year to three years, and my guess is they will show him none. He is screwed, and he did it to himself, and there is no way out of this mess.
I don't know how to help him at this point. I get that I have to on principle, because no one should be arested for writing anything, and if we falter in our defense of the ones we disagree with, it won't be too long before they come for those who think like us. I understand it. I am just.. I don't know. My mind agrees, but my heart isn't in it this time.
I don't know!
Support the free speech right, not the opinion or methods, right?
Then I guess this has to go up again:
November 23rd, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Where does he want to go?
November 23rd, 2006 at 2:02 pm
Great news! I’m pleased for Kareem!
Btw, just want to thank you for the blog. It gives me great hope to read your blog and other blogs in the Middle East that demonstrates reason.
JK, Copenhagen, Denmark
November 23rd, 2006 at 3:03 pm
I’m not an expert on this, but I am pretty sure that if an asylum seekers can make it to an embassy, or make it out of the country, the passport thing won’t be an issue. For sure he won’t be catching the next EgyptAir flight to a life of luxury in Geneva, but if he genuinely deserves political asylum and can get to a decent embassy I think he has a chance.
Overall though, from what you have written about him, he doesnt really sound like the most deserving of asylum type - more like a bit of a loudmouth with a lot to learn about the world. I feel sorry for the dude, but not as sorry as I feel for people truly deserving of refugee/asylum status, getting screwed in places like Darfur etc.
I hope international and local pressure can keep him out of harms way for the time being, but I agree that if he goes to the military, he’s screwed.
November 23rd, 2006 at 4:03 pm
This is funny, in a sad way.
November 23rd, 2006 at 5:18 pm
Hey monkey - I really hope you stand by him and continue to blog and keep us up to date on Kareem.
The bottom line - The guy got arrested for WRITING ON HIS BLOG! Doesn’t matter what the message was, he’s rotting away in prison for no reason at all.
God, look at how desperate Egyptians are to get the hell out of the country
Shouldn’t that be a big red flag for the government that the country is a shithole?
November 23rd, 2006 at 6:41 pm
Considering the tagging and search engine issues surrounding any campaign like this, someone may want to standardize the spelling of any imprisoned blogger’s name, both in its original language and alphabet and in English and the Latin alphabet.
November 23rd, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Well, Karim *was* locked up just for what he wrote. He mishandled the situation because his ego and naivete got the best of him, true, but he still deserves help.
Can’t say I see him getting asylum though, and I agree that the military will destroy the guy.
November 23rd, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Is his blog in english or arabic?
One way we can support him is to visit his site.
There is strength in numbers
Best Regards
PH
November 23rd, 2006 at 7:35 pm
You know, often it is like this . . . It is not WHAT you say, that makes the reaction, but THE WAY you say it.
November 23rd, 2006 at 8:35 pm
tommyg, sm
i really feel for him. why is everyone so anti kareem? i don’t know very much about him apart from his arrest last time for making comments about a play or something. why the ‘disagreement’ with him?
and tommyg is right about asylum- a passport is not required. He could get out of military service via a medical exemption. Who knows a couple of bent doctors?heck this is egypt- they’re all bent. Don’t flat feet get you exempted? Im sure that could be arranged by an operation.
November 23rd, 2006 at 9:47 pm
How do u know the assylum story is true? Oh yeah, I forgot.. You heard from a guy who knows him. It’s so typical this egyptian negativity and predilection for spreading rumours. And of course, everybody is an opportunist except for you.. I got it.
By the way I don’t know the guy, never visited his blog and he could in fact be a piece of shit, but that’s not the point.
November 24th, 2006 at 12:05 am
Hany, I know him personally. Trust me when I tell you that I know what i am talking about!
November 24th, 2006 at 1:41 am
Sandmonkey yeah for free speech, as Voltaire didn’t actually say
‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’
Voltaire did a similar thing, stood up for someone being persecuted by the authorities even though he detested the man’s opinion.
Something Voltaire did say, which is just as good -
‘Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too.’
November 24th, 2006 at 1:44 am
Bit off thread but..SM, obviously the authorities know who you are etc, does your heart rate go up when there’s a knock on the door ?
November 24th, 2006 at 4:43 am
[...] Rantings of a Sandmonkey reports the release of Egyptian blogger Rami Siam, who was in jail for four days “for no crime and without justifiable cause.” Meanwhile, blogger Abdul Karim Nabeel is still in jail for articles he posted on his blog. Amira Al Hussaini [...]
November 24th, 2006 at 5:02 am
This brings us back to the original point…. TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG?
Should Egyptian bloggers be scared to say their opinions on whatever the issues are, be them politics, religion, sex, etc? Should Egyptian bloggers stop speaking out in fear of government supression? I didn’t find anything to hate on Kareem’s blog, but thats beside the point, he was arrested because he said his opinion. The majority of Egyptians already are scared to speak out… I trust that Egyptian bloggers will not stop saying their opinions out of fear of government, because fear is originally what they’re out to abolish…
LOVE KARIM OR HATE HIM, JUST FREE HIM!
November 24th, 2006 at 6:23 am
IMHO I think that the Egyptian authorities, while not good, could be replaced with something far worse. Just in case they do read this blog..hey guys, what are you afraid of ? This may seem strange but if you actually cared about the people and did the right thing then in a truly free and fair election you would probably get elected. Think of all the time you’ll save not worrying about insurrection. You guys think that the people love their government in Iran ? Ease off, it might just work. Just a thought.
November 24th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
[...] Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman released [...]
November 24th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
#11.
well said hany, someone who sees thru the crap that goes on in egypt-there’s hope
November 25th, 2006 at 2:18 am
I still have sympathy for Kareem, and I’d like for him to be able to leave the country. I hope that it is true that he could go to say, the American embassy and ask for asylum—and I hope that he gets it. He should be free to live where he wants to live. I think that we should all stand by him and try to keep up the pressure to get him released.
November 25th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
This crap is Bush league. In America, Cuyahoga County, Ohio prosecutors were able to incarcerate two bloggers for exposing case fixing in courts and shut down the website http://www.erievoices.com which published evidence of corruption running to the US justice department. Got the ex Marine blogger under control quickly. But the other one, Dr. Elsebeth Baumgartner is a real pain in the ass and professed Christian to boot who as an attorney used to represent Muslims and blacks for free. Held her in the hole for 10 days without charge until the bleeding heart warden made us move her to regular custody. Finally got the bitch to plead no contest and she faces over 75 years in prison. Now just have to shut down http://www.northcountrygazette.org.
November 25th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
Whatever his personality, this guy still deserves 100% support. In fact, far from disliking him, I respect him even more BECAUSE he’s standing up to the government when he’s at such great risk.
November 25th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Reading a newspaper, just today:
- USA want to control blogsphere, the Pentagon said about it officially.
- in China it’s under control already, some people were arrested. Punishment: from fine to prison. At the same time bloggers can’t be anonymous, it’s forbidden.
- Belorussia blockes the opposite sites. Opposite to the government of course.
- Russian blogs are going to be under control soon, too. There were some cases when it simply stopped to work. Exactly in the days of demonstrations & so on.
Disturbed, yeah?
November 26th, 2006 at 5:40 am
Of course, many politicians want to control the blogsphere so that people can be fed only what the mainstream media sources want them to know. They don’t want people talking across borders and developing compassion for each other, respect for others, and sharing information. I support Kareem 100%.
November 27th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
Egyptian Sandmonkey Takes Exception To TIME’s Embrace Of Tariq Ramadan
As far as we know, Rantings of a Sandmonkey is the only site on our blogroll with an editor who actually believes that there’s an Israeli-Palestinian “cycle of violence”. Posts like his commentary on TIME giving Tariq Ramadan an editorial…
November 28th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
[...] [...]
November 28th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
Mere Rhetoric sucks.
“Rantings of a Sandmonkey is the only site on our blogroll with an editor who actually believes that there’s an Israeli-Palestinian “cycle of violence”. ”
Yes, because all Palestinians are subhuman vermin and Je- I mean, Israelis, are the unreproachable Chosen People. If they kill some innocent people, who cares? You don’t question the Master Ra- I mean, Chosen People. Especially when they’re just killing worthless Palestinian Muslims and Christians.
November 29th, 2006 at 2:17 am
To Winston In Cuyahoga County—-
North Country Gazette has got your number and got Cuyahoga County in their sights. erievoicestoo is up on line. Scumballs like Dan Kasaris need to be removed from government. USDOJ should investigate what he’s doing posting on this site, making threats. Check out http://erievoicestoo.blogspot.com
May 19th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
[...] Big Pharaoh on Abdolkarim’s first arrest. And here’s information from Sandmonkey on the latest. Here’s the Free Kareem [...]