EGYPTIAN BLOGGER Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman, who was arrested and held incommunicado by the Egyptian Government last month, has reportedly been released. This is based on a new post on his blog and, like the Sandmonkey, I reserve the right to be a little skeptical. But it's definitely good news. At the very least the authorities have been bothered enough to put up a fake post on his blog, one which isn't going to fool anyone for long. More likely (I hope), he actually has been released. If so, I trust he'll keep blogging as usual. Otherwise, we'll all start to get suspicious. Also, I urge Egyptian bloggers to telephone him or, better yet, see if you can see him in person, and report back to us to confirm his release. If you happen to read my post here, please drop me a note if you reach him.

Meanwhile, many thanks to readers who wrote to the Egyptian Embassy and signed the petition. The power of a blog-swarm is not to be dismissed! And the mainstream media sure have been missing a hell of a story.

(Via Instapundit.)

In addition, I should note that an Egyptian blog that helped keep Seliman's case alive has won an award from Reporters Without Borders:

"Manal and Alaa’s Bit Bucket" won the Special Award from Reporters Without Borders in the Deutsche Welle’s 2005 Weblog Awards. The wife-husband pair has become an institution among Arabic bloggers and journalists critical of the Egyptian regime. Manal and Alaa strive to promote freedom of expression and protect human rights as well as highlight the need for political reforms in Egypt. Their Weblog also offers other bloggers free storage space and practical help starting their own initiatives and has been has been crucial is developing a critical and engaged blogger scene in Egypt and the Arabic-speaking world.

Congratulations, Manal and Alaa!

UPDATE (15 November): Bad link fixed. Apologies. And more details about the release of Seliman here.