[JURIST] An appeals court in Egypt [JURIST news archive] has affirmed the four-year prison sentence imposed on Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil [advocacy website; HRinfo backgrounder] at a hearing Monday, according to court officials speaking to AP on condition of anonymity. A lower court in Alexandria initially imposed the sentence [JURIST report] against Nabil in February on charges of inciting sedition, insulting Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak [official profile], and harming national unity in remarks posted on his Internet blog [website, in Arabic] attacking conservative Muslims. Nabil filed an appeal [JURIST report] on February 26, prompting Monday's hearing. Nabil pleaded not guilty to all charges and originally faced a maximum of nine years in prison [JURIST report].

Several rights groups, including the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) [advocacy website], have denounced [press release] Nabil's conviction as an affront to freedom of expression in Egypt. AP has more.