A 30-year-old Egyptian is due to appear before a military court on Monday, accused of "disclosing information about the Egyptian armed forces" on Facebook. He could face five years in jail if convicted.

Ahmed Hassan Bassyouni set up a Facebook group called "Conscription and Mobilisation Department" which provided advice and information to young Egyptians about military service. 

According to Amnesty International, Bassyouni was interviewed on Egyptian radio about the Facebook group on October 30. "After the interview, he was called back to the studio where military investigation officers were waiting to arrest him."

Amnesty says it appears he "is being tried solely for publishing information readily available in the public domain and often published in local newspapers".

The case is reminiscent of another one earlier this year when a young Egyptian called Ahmed Mustafa was hauled up before a military court after complaining on his blog about favouritism in a military college. That trial was eventually abandoned following publicity in the media.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 27 November 2010.