The world is ever ready to point out, even revel in, what are usually called India's "lack of infrastructure", "corrupt ruling bodies", "social malpractices" and "fundamentalist orthodoxy". Indians would rather phrase these failings less acidically, but not even the most arduous loyalist of Indian Nationalism can deny any one of these charges. India, however, takes the fundamental right pertaining to freedom, the first of those inalienable rights in the Constitution, seriously. There is widespread abuse of this right, but it also gives the ordinary citizen a chance to make themselves heard, and share ideas and opinions on public fora like social networking sites and blogs. One woman in ten thousand may have complained of harrassment through social media; a slightly larger number of people may have been subjected to fraudulence. The law hasn't interfered, and this I state as a case without exceptions, with Indians residing in their home country, and writing in their personal web pages about what they choose, and in what way.
Not so in Egypt. Kareem Amer has already spent a term of four years behind bars in Alexandria, and continues to be detained because of his aggressive statements against President Hosni and Islam in his blog. He was scheduled to be released on November 5, and authorities blithely feign ignorance of what went wrong when a week has passed and no document of freedom given to Amer.
Amnesty International is fighting with Kareem Amer, whose offence was making a public comment on an issue of relevance to himself. To protest and make a difference, visit Amnesty's official online report:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/egyptian-blogger-held-despite-completing-prison-sentence-2010-11-11 .
http://www.amnesty.org/en/
