Tomorrow, November 6, PEN will hold a rally in New York, from noon to 1:30pm, at the Egyptian Mission to the UN (304 East 44th St., between 1st and 2nd Avenues) to raise awareness and support for Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, better known as Kareem Amer.Amer was convicted of "disparaging Islam" and "defaming the Egyptian president" because he published "critical writings about Islam and Egypt's highest religious authorities" on his personal blog. He was sentenced to four years in prison. He is the first blogger in Egypt to be tried and convicted for his work, and "there are fears that this case may set a precedent."
The NYC rally is one of three in the US; the others are in Rhode Island and Washington, DC. Rallies are also planned in Paris, London, Brussels, Stockholm, Berlin, Bucharest, Rome, and Berne. You can read about all of them here.
If you can't make it to any of the rallies, but are, like Amer, a blogger yourself, consider reading up on his case, and publishing your own thoughts tomorrow, as an expression of support.
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