A prominent Christian legal organization and religious freedom advocates are seeking the release of two Christian men jailed in Egypt for nearly three years without a trial for their involvement in discussing their faith online with other Christian converts.

One of the men, Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo, a father of five originally from Yemen, has gone on a hunger strike in protest, and his wife says his health has rapidly deteriorated.

In December 2021, Egyptian authorities arrested Abdo along with Nour Girgis, “spuriously claiming they were involved with terrorism activities,” Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is advocating for the men’s release, said in a statement.

The Facebook page that Abdo and Girgis were involved with is dedicated to supporting people who have converted from Islam to Christianity, ADF International said. Abdo fled Yemen and sought asylum in Egypt after converting from Islam to Christianity.

Rep. Chris Smith, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Global Human Rights Subcommittee and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, joined ADF International in calling for the men’s release.

“The government of Egypt has imprisoned Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo for more than two years for no known reason—other than that he shared his Christian faith on Facebook with other converts to Christianity,” Smith said. “His imprisonment is a grave and grotesque violation of his human rights. News of his hunger strike makes it more urgent than ever that he be released. I appeal to the government to release Abdo into a safe situation, and I appeal to UNHCR to protect and prioritize vulnerable or endangered applicants, including Christian converts from Islam and those accused of blasphemy.”

ADF International says the United Nations has been updated on the men’s plight, noting both “have been deprived of their right to religious freedom and a fair trial under international law.”

In a letter to his family in Arabic and translated into English, Abdo said he plans to increase the level of his hunger strike as time passes to emphasize that his detainment is unjust.

“My beloved wife and children, who are precious to my heart and soul,” Abdo wrote. “My dear, I miss you a lot, a lot a lot. And I pray to God that he will protect you and make you successful in all your situation of your life. And my prayer is that God will unite us together soon.”

“And I refuse to take treatment from the person who is responsible for healthcare in the prison,” Abdo continued. “And I requested from him to tell the management in the prison that I am doing so. I am going to increase my strike in stages until I make the strike complete during the coming weeks. And the reason of my strike [is] that they arrested me without any legal justification. They did not convict me for any violation of the law.”

He ended his letter by writing, “I love you all, Daddy.”

Kelsey Zorzi, ADF International’s director of advocacy for global religious freedom, said: “Nobody should be imprisoned for expressing their Christian beliefs in a social media post. This devastating cry for help from Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo must not be ignored, and it is past time for Egyptian authorities to release him and Nour Girgis from their unwarranted and unlawful detention.”

Photo courtesy ADF International