Human Rights Watchdog Condemns Egypt's Atheist Prison Sentence

An international human rights watchdog group has condemned the recent ruling in Egypt that sentenced a student to three years imprisonment for expressing his atheist beliefs on Facebook.

Human Rights Watch released a statement Tuesday saying the recent ruling against 21-year-old engineering student Karim Ashraf Mohammed Al-Banna proves that Egypt's alleged claim that religious freedom is protected is false.

"Atheists are one of Egypt's least-protected minorities, although the constitution ostensibly guarantees freedom of belief and expression," Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the group's MENA program, said in a statement.

"Egyptian authorities need to be guided by the constitution and stop persecuting people for atheism," Whitson added.

Al-Banna was found guilty of blasphemy and insulting Islam in a recent court ruling after his neighbors contacted police due to atheist-themed comments he had written on his Facebook account.

"He was handed down a three-year prison sentence, and if he pays a bail of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($140) the sentence can be suspended until a verdict is issued by an appeals court," the 21-year-old's lawyer, Ahmed Abdel Nabi, said in a statement.

Sentiment against atheism and other religious dissent runs strong in Egypt, as media outlets reported that even Al-Banna's own father testifgied against him in court.

In 2012, atheist blogger Alber Saber was also sentenced to three years imprisonment after his neighbors claimed he had posted a video to his Facebook account that insulted Islam and sparked riots in several Islamic countries.