Student court martialled for blogging about army human rights violations

Reporters Without Borders condemns university student Ahmed Abdel Fattah Mustafa’s trial by court martial for blogging about army human rights violations. Held incommunicado since his arrest by state security agents on 25 February, he appeared today before a Cairo military court on charges of “publishing false news” and trying to “undermine people’s confidence in the armed forces.” The trial was adjourned.

“Mustafa is a civilian and there are no grounds for trying him before a military court,” Reporters Without Borders said. “These extraordinary judicial proceedings are designed to intimidate anyone who dares to criticise the army. This is further proof of the government’s inability to tolerate sensitive subjects being tackled by bloggers.”