Military police reportedly detained Abdul Kareem Suleiman Amer, the blogger better known as Kareem Amer, together with the film-maker Samir Eshra on Cairo’s Kasr El-Nil bridge yesterday evening as they were leaving Tahrir Square. Reporters Without Borders calls for their immediate release.
“Kareem Amer owes his prominence to his virulent criticism of the regime,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We fear the authorities will use this opportunity to send him back to prison for a long time.”
Reporters Without Borders is also concerned about the possibility of reprisals against local journalists, bloggers and fixers as the international media gradually leave Egypt. It appeals for the utmost vigilance and reminds the authorities that they have a duty to guarantee the safety of all the media personnel trying to cover events in Egypt.
Asma Mahfouz, a blogger who urged Egyptians to take to the streets on 25 January, told the BBC on 5 February that she had received many phone calls from Mubarak supporters threatening to kill her and her family.