Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, better known by his blogging name, Kareem Amer, was due to be freed on 5 November after completing a four-year jail sentence for criticising the government. Instead, he has been held illegally for the past five days, and has reportedly received a severe beating from an official at the headquarters of the internal security department in Alexandria. During his sentence, Amer’s letters have chronicled episodes of solitary confinement and torture.