Egyptian Blogger Jailed for Critizing the Military

The big talk of a lot of the cable news shows today has been that Time named "the protester" as the 2011 person of the year, which is largely based on the Arab spring and occupy movement here at home. At the same time, we've received yet another reminder of how there's still a lot of work to be done because a Egyptian blogger received a two year jail sentence today for insulting the military.

Maikel Nabil was sentenced on charges that included insulting the military, based on comments he made on his blog and Facebook page. The sentencing, almost nine months after his arrest, came after a retrial, and human rights groups called it a disturbing reminder of how much power the military leadership maintains. More than 12,000 people have been convicted in hasty military trials since the top generals assumed power on Feb. 11.

Earlier this month, Egypt’s ruling military council appointed a new prime minister after dozens of people were killed in crackdowns on protests that prompted a caretaker government to resign. The military chiefs promised Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri wider powers under their auspices, but no control over the military or civilian justice systems. The civilian court system is functioning, but people are still being convicted in military courts, said Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher for Human Rights Watch.