Case: Alber Saber
Alber Saber is a twenty-seven-year-old prominent activist for secular democracy in Egypt who was arrested during the recent protests in Cairo over a film made in the United States that depicts the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a negative light. Saber, raised in a Coptic Christian household, is an atheist who reportedly operates the Egyptian Atheists page on Facebook and has been a vocal critic of fundamentalist Islam.
On September 14, 2012, a crowd of hundreds formed outside of Saber’s home chanting “Allahu Akbar” and demanding that Saber be arrested for allegedly posting a link to the film, along with other crimes such as insulting religion. When the police arrived, they arrested Saber and put him in jail. Saber was reportedly beaten after a prison guard announced his charges to others in Saber’s cell.
On December 12, 2012, a court sentenced Saber to three years in prison. He is currently out on bail.