Center for analysis and institutional development and the Association Liberalism.ro was joined to all organizations and individuals who have taken note of the Egyptian State abuse and have invited all those who believe in the freedom of the individual to sign the petition submitted by the Egyptian authorities on Thursday, February 15, 2006, at 10 A.M., before the pronuntarii court sentencing in that case on February 22.
February 14, 2007
Your Excellency,
Members of several non-governmental organizations, dedicated to support individual freedom: the Centre for analysis and institutional development, the Association Liberalism.ro, the Association "Solidarity for freedom of Conscience" and Romanian Center for Global Studies, expressing concern for the young Egyptian 22-year-old former law student, Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman (also on the Internet under the pseudonym "Kareem Amer") that will have faced nine years in prison in the case will be sentenced for the expression of personal opinions on the Weblog or (http://karam903.blogspot.com/).
You are probably knowledgeable about the case of Mr. Abdul Aziz, arrested twice in the past and is currently detained under charges: "spreading malicious rumors and information that threatens public security", "defamation of the President of Egypt", "incitement to overthrow the regime, based on hatred and contempt", "incitement to hatred against Islam and breaching public peace standards", "emphasizing the wrong topics that harm the reputation of Egypt and bringing them to the attention of the public".
According to statements of the lawyer, Ahmed el-Islam Safe, apartinsnd Arab Network for human rights (R), who represented Kareem Amer, in front of the judge, showed up irregularities from the Public Prosecutor. The deficiencies observed include: the presence of illegally taking his three interrogators, Kareem in ras during interogarilor and unsubstantiated and irrelevant questions for humanitarian, to Kareem, of the type: "keep the post in Ramadan?", and "Practice prayer?", etc.
The Public Prosecutor told Kareem Amer on that if you don't give up your own opinions, even if personal, risking prison. However, Mr. Amer has camera right to freedom of expression, being owned, consequently, during investigations. Ownership has been renewed four times before the opening of the trial at the Court in Alexandria on January 25, 2007.
The process of sentencing his pronouncement, Kareem was postponed for February 22, 2007.
The Egyptian State is a signatory to the International Convention on Civil and political rights (ICCPR), starting in 1982. Article 19 of the ICCPR provides:
Article 19 (1): everyone has the right to express their opinions without constraints.
Article 19 (2): everyone has the right to freedom of expression; This right includes freedom to seek, receive and spread information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of barriers, whether verbal, written or printed, in the form of art or in any other media form after choosing each.
At the same time, articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of human rights (UNDHR), adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948, provides:
Article 18: "everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; This right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom to manifest his religion or belief, alone or together with others, both in public and in private, through instruction, worship and religious practice, fulfilling rites. "
Article 19: "everyone has the right to freedom of expression; This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and spread information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, in the form of verbal, written, printed, or artistic or otherwise, of his choice. (..).”
In relation to the international obligations undertaken by the Egyptian authorities, which include compliance with these fundamental provisions, the Court of the Egyptian authorities ' actions are reduced in the background an attempt to punish the expression of opinions. In addition to the type of accusation, levelled at the conduct of the process, as was narrated by RADO, raise serious doubts about its fairness.
No matter how controversial his opinions would be Abdul Kareem, freedom of expression remains an inalienable right of every individual, regardless of the space in which it lives, status, or social, racial, ethnic or confessional; Therefore, we believe that the charges brought against him Abdul Kareem are void and surely should be withdrawn, and the lawsuit filed by Egyptian authorities in effect equates with a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights.
As you know, these events have sparked concern in many parts of the world. We join these protests in the campaign "Free Kareem" (www.freekareeem.org), asking the Egyptian Government emergency withdrawal of charges to Abdul Kareem and clarifying the circumstances of doing the process, in the spirit of respect for fundamental human rights.
Sincerely,
Signatories:
Center for analysis and institutional development-Horia Jose, Director
Association Liberalism.ro-Tudor Gamache, Director
The Association "Solidarity for freedom of Conscience," Remus Cernea, Director
Romanian Center for Global Studies-Dorina Nastase, Director
