Egypt: “rendition” victim speaks

AlJazeera includes the following interesting passage in its Feb. 22 coverage of the conviction of Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman. Now, did “rendition” victim Abu Omar show up to support Soliman, despite his taunts of reactionary Islam on his blog? Does he support him as a fellow victim of state oppression? Or does he view him as an apostate kafir? Or perhaps both?

During the trial, an Egyptian imam allegedly kidnapped by CIA agents in Italy and taken to Egypt, showed up to speak to the media, breaking his release conditions.

Known as Abu Omar, the former Milan-based imam on Thursday told reporters that he was tortured in an Egyptian prison and that he wants to return to Italy.

He showed the cameras scars he said were from torture in Egyptian jails and said he will resort to the Italian government to help him.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent, Amr El-Khaky reported: “Abu Omar also pleaded to both the Egyptian and American presidents to release all political prisoners”, including US prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

See our last posts on the torture and detainment scandal, the Abu Omar case and blogging in Egypt.