After being detained for 15 days under investigation, the Egyptian blogger Ahmed Mohsen is to still imprisoned, as he is accused of “Exploiting the democratic climate to overthrow the government”

Mohsen was arrested on April 29th, 2009, after a State Security force broke into his house in Fayoum govern-ate (North) and searched it. As Mohsen was already moved to Upper Egypt, a police officer summoned him to the prosecution office in Fayoum.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights (ANHRI), described the accusation as a ‘comic’ one, stating:

It is normal for a State Security officer to tell lies, but when the Public Prosecution believes this lie and approves to imprison a young blogger for exploitation of the democratic climate, this is black comedy, what democracy did this young man exploit

Mohsen is a young doctor; he is from Fayoum, but living and working on Minya. He introduces himself in the profile of his blog as: “Ahmed Mohsen Abdul Rahman, a doctor who is concerned with freedom causes. […] trying to open [his] eyes and watch what is going on, in order to understand it!”

The detained blogger started his online activities in 2006, with the blog Fattah Einek (Open your eyes) where he used to write about human rights situation in Egypt and in his small governorate of Fayoum, and writes poems about freedom and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also blogged about his experience when arrested on May 2006 because of his online writings about torture. He is among the first Egyptian bloggers to expose torture practiced by the Interior Ministry in the governorate of Fayoum.

The Arabic Blogger union published a memo in solidarity with Mohsen, more than 225 bloggers and journalists signed it so far, the union is targeting 1000 signatures.