Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo, a Christian imprisoned for discussing his faith on Facebook, was released by Egyptian authorities after three years, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International reported.

Abdo, 55, received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in Yemen, his home country. Converting from Islam, Abdo, a husband and father of five, fled Yemen in 2014 after he received death threats and became an asylum seeker in Egypt through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Abdo participated in a private online Facebook group centered on conversion from Islam to Christianity where Christian apologetics and Muslim theology were discussed.

In 2021, Abdo was arrested by local authorities in Egypt and imprisoned for three years without trial due to his participation in the Facebook group. His heart, liver and kidney issues followed him as he transferred through several detention centers. During the last six months of his detainment, he underwent a hunger strike in response to the injustice.

ADF International, a Christian legal advocacy group, submitted Abdo’s case to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which aided in establishing his discharge.

After his release, Abdo said of his ordeal:

“I endured many hardships in prison. It isn’t right that a government should tear me away from my family, keep me in these awful conditions, only because of the faith in which I peacefully choose to believe. I thank everyone who prayed for me while I was in prison, cared about and followed up on my case, and shared the joy of my release from prison.”

Abdo’s son, Husam Baqi, also commented on the religious persecution his father endured.

“It is hideous that individuals are not allowed to believe and express their beliefs freely and are imprisoned or killed for their faith,” he stated.

ADF International is continuing to fight for Abdo in a legal battle.

“The arbitrary detention of this husband and father without a criminal trial, and the lack of an opportunity for him to defend himself against alleged offenses, constitutes a severe violation of human rights,” said Kelsey Zorzi, director of Advocacy for Religious Freedom at ADF International. “The peaceful expression of one’s religious convictions cannot be a crime—not in Egypt, nor anywhere else in the world. This case shows the extremity of unchecked government censorship in the online age. The world must take note.”

Approximately 90% of the population in Egypt is Muslim, and about 8.8% are Christians, according to Open Doors, a Christian ministry working in more than 70 countries. A recent Open Doors report revealed that 34 Christians were detained for faith-related reasons in 2024. Christians who convert from Islam tend to face harsher repercussions as families and communities often threaten converts with death. Security services often treat converts with more hostility through detainment and intimidation.

Photo: ADF International