Blogger Arrested in Egypt

Dear readers and fellow bloggers,

a blogger in Egypt has been arrested. His name is Alaa, and he is not only among the most popular bloggers in that country, but he has also set up an aggregator similar to Open Lebanon that includes almost all of the Egyptian blogs.

Alaa was peacefully demonstrating for the independence of Egypt's judiciary with around twenty other people when the Egyptian "police" swarmed down on them. He is now detained and is probably going to be unfairly tried in the very courts he was protesting to support.

Blogger Mustapha has contributed to the campaign to free Alaa by creating banners like the one you now see on this blog. I expect everyone who would like to see a democratic and free middle east contribute to this campaign as well.

Visit the sand monkey's blog for ways you can help, and for regular updates. The reality is that Egypt is our neighbor - and one of the most powerful countries in the region. A democratic Egyptian regime is a regime that does not support bashar el assad because it fears for its own existence.

So do what you can do to support one of the most influential bloggers in the region - who, by the way, calls for democracy and liberalism - just like the rest of us.

Update: Those of you who live and/or work in the Washington DC area, please attend a vigil in front of the Egyptian Embassy. Where? 3521 International Ct NW, Washington DC 20008. When? Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 12:30 PM. See you there!