Free Kareem

Shruti Rajagopalan, India's favourite new blogger, made a personal request I could not refuse. I reproduce her post below. If you blog or have friends who do, please register your protest by posting about it.

Today is Free Kareem Day to protest the detention of 22-year-old Egyptian blogger Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman (better known as Kareem Amer), who was arrested for expressing his secular views on his personal blog. His trial is on Thursday, February 22, 2007, and if convicted he is expected to be sentenced for 11 years.

Today there will be peaceful rallies to support both Kareem and the right to freedom of expression. Drew, from DI, has taken up this cause and will be protesting in London. These are the cities where protests will take place London, Washington DC, Chicago, New York, Bucharest, Rome and Ottawa. More information about the protests is here.

I think the Indian Bloggers will share my sentiment especially after the Indian Government blocked the access some blogs a few months ago. The question is not about Kareem's views. I personally don't agree with any of them. But he has the right to express them and shouldn't have to go to prison.

It's sad the in this century we are still being intellectually enslaved, now with sovereign and constitutional sanction, and our right to freedom of speech and expression is either not recognised, and if recognised is infringed.

I request my readers to protest this, participate in the protests in the various cities if possible, or join the blog protest in India by writing about it.