Links March 13 2010
From POMED:
In other news, blogger and democracy activist Wael Abbas — previously sentenced to 6 months jail time last November before an appeals court acquitted him February — was convicted yet again, this time by Egypt’s Economic Court under the charge of “providing a telecommunications service to the public without permission.” During Abbas’ earlier trial last fall, this same charge had been dropped by the public prosecution in favor of indicting Abbas for “vandalizing an Internet connection.” Gamal Eid, executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, blasted the government for its “blatant tampering” with the law. “The case was closed already and Abbas was acquitted after proving to the judiciary that it was a completely fabricated,” he said. “The Ministry of Interior is so keen to jail a blogger…because his blog exposes crimes of torture and corruption in Egypt.”
Urging the Egyptian government to overturn Abbas’ new sentence, the Committee to Protect Journalists stressed that “[manufacturing] one charge after another until one finally sticks makes a mockery of the judicial system.”
Urging the Egyptian government to overturn Abbas’ new sentence, the Committee to Protect Journalistsstressed that “[manufacturing] one charge after another until one finally sticks makes a mockery of the judicial system.”
More at Wael's blog. And the rest of the links:
224 Palestinians, mostly medical patients, sent back to Gaza.
In Marsa Matruh, over church-building again.
Tamim is getting pretty buffoonish.
They were missionaries, apparently.
A nice reflection on Tantawi's lack of leadership.
On British standing in the Middle East.