ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- An Egyptian blogger was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday for allegedly insulting Islam and defaming President Hosni Mubarak.
Abd al-Karim Nabil Sulaiman, who used the pen name Karim Amer, is believed to be the first person in the country to be imprisoned for online writings.
"This sentence sets a chilling precedent in a country where blogs have opened a window for free speech," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The Egyptian government should abide by its commitments to uphold free expression and release Sulaiman without delay."
The group said that the judge imposed the sentence in a 5-minute hearing in Alexandria.
Sulaiman, a former student of Islamic jurisprudence, was detained in November after authorities at Al-Azhar University complained about comments in his blog.
Sulaiman was detained in 2005 and released 12 days later without charge after he criticized Islamic rioters on his blog.
