CFI Demands Release of Atheist Sherif Gaber, Reportedly Arrested in Egypt for Criticizing Religion | Center for Inquiry

14.6.18

CFI Demands Release of Atheist Sherif Gaber, Reportedly Arrested in Egypt for Criticizing Religion | Center for Inquiry:

The Center for Inquiry called for the immediate release and pardon of
atheist blogger and video producer Sherif Gaber, who is believed to
have been arrested by Egyptian authorities on or about May 2, charged
along with 27 others for allegedly attempting to overthrow the Egyptian
government and “spreading false news.”


Gaber, who writes and produces videos that advocate for science and
freethought, was sentenced in 2013 to a year in prison for blasphemy,
but managed to flee the country before being incarcerated. Gaber was
once again evading arrest after authorities put out a call for his
capture on March 31 of this year. It is now being reported that Gaber
was detained on May 2 as part of a roundup of those accused of a
conspiracy to undermine Egypt’s ruling regime and constitution.


“Sherif Gaber has committed no crime, at least none that should be
recognized as a crime by any nation in the twenty-first century,” said
Robyn Blumner, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry. “By
criticizing and satirizing religion and the political class, Sherif is
exercising his basic human right to free expression. To persecute and
prosecute him for such acts, the Egyptian authorities are showing why
Sherif’s dissenting voice is so necessary.”


Blumner and the Center for Inquiry are signatories to a petition demanding Gaber’s release.


The defense of free expression is core to the mission of Center for Inquiry, which founded such initiatives as International Blasphemy Rights Day, as well as Secular Rescue,
a program to assist secularist writers and activists to relocate to
safety after being threatened with violence or criminal prosecution. CFI
has supported the causes of other dissidents imprisoned for
blasphemy-related crimes, including Alexander Aan in Indonesia and Raif
Badawi in Saudi Arabia, among many others.


“The Egyptian people know that their country has the potential to be a
beacon of hope, progress, and tolerance. But they must demand that
their leaders reject the persecution of political dissidents and the
nonreligious,” said Blumner. “This cradle of civilization must not
engage in thuggery and oppression, and allow itself to stumble back to
the Dark Ages. Release Sherif Gaber now.”


The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy,
and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with
executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to the Richard
Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science, the Committee for Skeptical
Inquiry, and the Council for Secular Humanism. The Center for Inquiry
strives to foster a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of
inquiry, and humanist values. Visit CFI on the web at
centerforinquiry.org.