Egyptian blogger speaks out in Washington Post

In a Washington Post op-ed Sunday, Wael Abbas documents his return to Egypt following a fellowship at Freedom House. Abbas fears that he could be arrested because he “dared to speak the truth about President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.” Upon Abbas’ arrival to Cairo, he was greeted by family members who had reportedly been followed throughout the day.

Abbas, a well-known Egyptian blogger, is an outspoken critique of Mubarak’s willingness to further entrench executive authority despite the fact that his government receives a little over a billion dollars in annual U.S. aid for supporting democracy. The Mubarak government is notorious for its human rights violations and, more recently, its crackdown on Egyptian activists using the internet to spread the truth about Egyptian oppression.

The government, in coordination with the courts, has filed lawsuits against over 50 bloggers for charges ranging from blackmail to defaming Egypt. Mubarak has been in power for 25 years and continues to rule through fear, corruption and oppression.

For the full article, click here.

For the blog of Wael Abbas, click here.(Arabic)