Release of “Abdulbaqi Saidabdo,” a Christian Citizen After Enduring Three Years of Imprisonment
“Abdulbaqi Saidabdo,” a Christian citizen from Yemen, has been released after enduring three years of imprisonment in Egypt.
According to reports published by the human rights organization ADF International, Abdulbaqi Saidabdo is a Christian citizen from Yemen who, after converting to Christianity and accepting Jesus Christ, joined a Facebook group related to leaving Islam and converting to Christianity. This led to severe threats and even death threats from Yemeni extremists, forcing him to migrate to Egypt.
He registered as a refugee with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees but was arrested and imprisoned by the Egyptian government in 2021. He was released after the international human rights organization ADF referred his case to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Abdulbaqi Abdo stated: “It is not right for a government to separate me from my family and hold me under such terrible conditions, simply because of the faith I peacefully hold. I endured great hardships in prison. This behavior is inhumane and unjust. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who prayed for me during my imprisonment, paid attention to my case, followed up on my situation, and shared in the joy of my release.”
“Kelsey Zorzi,” the Religious Freedom Defense Director at the aforementioned human rights organization, issued a statement regarding Abdulbaqi’s case and wrote: “The arbitrary detention of this Christian believer, without a fair trial and the opportunity to defend himself against alleged charges, is a clear violation of human rights. Peaceful expression of religious beliefs cannot be a crime, neither in Egypt nor anywhere else in the world. This case is an extreme example of uncontrolled state censorship in the digital age. The world must pay attention to this matter.”
It is worth noting that according to the annual report of the Christian organization “Open Doors,” Egypt ranks fortieth among Christian-persecuting countries, where Christians face harassment and persecution.
