Global Voices Online

A recent clampdown on Egyptian bloggers encompassed bloggers of different political orientations. Egyptian blogger Abdul Monem Mahmood who has been detained for 46 days on political allegations belongs to the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. However, various bloggers of different backgrounds showed support to Monem without discrimination.

According to Monem's blog, he is in jail under inhuman conditions, denied to attend his post-graduate studies exams and barely succeeded in visiting his ailing father few days ago.

Egyptian bloggers received the news of Monem's release with apprehension reflecting the amount of distrust in the Egyptian security. Nora Younis said “the release decision came as surprise like the detention order…I am still apprehensive. I won't congratulate Monem before I see him with my eyes.”

In an earlier blog post titled “Freedom for Internet”, Jar El Kamar suggests that the reason behind Monem's detention is his blog posts on torture by state security to him, participation in conferences, and for being an active journalist defending human rights. Jar El Kamar says: “the accumulation of fear feelings leads to strict self censorship… I am sad because the only place where I felt free is now cordoned.”

The release of Monem this Saturday does decide on future procedures regarding other bloggers expressing themselves freely in the Egyptian blogosphere which explains why some received the news with silence, apprehension and cautioned happiness. The only clear procedures so far are setting legal precedents with Egyptian bloggers to succumb them to a level of censorship.