Thursday, February 22, 2007

Egypt jails dissident blogger for four years

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AFP) - An Egyptian court sentenced a dissident blogger to four years in prison Thursday for insulting Islam and defaming President Hosni Mubarak, friends told AFP.

The court in the second city of Alexandria sentenced Abdel Karim Suleiman to three years for insulting Islam and one year for defaming the president, fellow blogger and rights activist Dalia Ziyada said.

Suleiman has been in custody since November 2006 and his trial started on January 25. He denied all the charges.

His detention has already been criticised by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders.

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