Release of Christian citizen "Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo" after serving three years in prison
"Abdulbaqi Said Abdo," a Christian citizen from Yemen, was released after serving three years in prison in Egypt.
According to reports published by the legal group ADF International, Abdulbaqi Said Abdo is a Christian citizen from Yemen who, after believing in Jesus Christ, joined a Facebook group about leaving Islam and converting to Christianity. This led to him receiving severe threats and even death threats from Yemeni extremist Islamists, forcing him to emigrate to Egypt.
He registered as an asylum seeker with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) but was arrested and imprisoned by the Egyptian government in 2021. He was released after the international legal group ADF referred his case to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Abdulbaqi Abdu said in a statement: "It is not right that a government would separate me from my family and keep me in such terrible conditions, just because of the faith that I peacefully believe in. I have endured many hardships in prison. This treatment is inhumane and unjust. I am sincerely grateful to all those who prayed for me during my imprisonment, cared about my case, followed my situation, and shared in the joy of my freedom."
Kelsey Zorzi, the religious freedom advocacy director at the rights group, issued a statement about Abdelbaqi's case, writing: "The arbitrary detention of this Christian convert, without a fair trial and the opportunity to defend himself against the alleged charges, is a clear violation of human rights. The peaceful expression of religious beliefs cannot be a crime, not in Egypt, nor anywhere else in the world. This case is an extreme example of unchecked state censorship in the digital age. The world should take note."
It should be noted that according to the annual report of the Christian organization "Open Doors", Egypt ranks 40th among anti-Christian countries, with Christians being persecuted in this country.
