A Yemeni asylum seeker who was imprisoned in Egypt for participating in a Christian Facebook group has been released after three years in detention with help from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, though his legal battle continues.
Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo, a father of five who converted from Islam to Christianity, was arrested in 2021 while living in Egypt as a UNHCR-registered refugee. He had initially fled Yemen due to death threats following his conversion.
The case centers on Abdo’s participation in a Facebook group that discussed Islamic theology and Christian apologetics, leading to his arrest and detention without trial.
What is Alliance Defending Freedom?
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life.
Alliance Defending Freedom International is the global branch of Alliance Defending Freedom, focusing on legal advocacy for religious freedom, human dignity, and the sanctity of life across international borders.
During his three-year imprisonment, Abdo was transferred between multiple detention facilities and eventually resorted to a hunger strike in his final six months of confinement. His health deteriorated significantly, with reported complications affecting his heart, liver, and kidneys.
“I endured many hardships in prison,” Abdo said following his release. “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.”
The case has drawn international attention to the issue of online religious freedom. Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Religious Freedom at Alliance Defending Freedom International, which helped secure Abdo’s release through an appeal to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, criticized his treatment, saying, “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.”
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution who recently converted to Christianity herself, called Abdo’s treatment “grotesque” and warned of a broader trend of censorship. “From China to Pakistan, from Russia to Syria, from the UK to Egypt—free speech must urgently be defended from our age’s resurgent Stalinism,” she stated.
Abdo’s son, Husam Baqi, expressed his dismay at the situation: “It is hideous that individuals are not allowed to believe and express their beliefs freely and are imprisoned or killed for their faith.”
Despite his release, Abdo’s legal case remains open, highlighting ongoing concerns about religious freedom and online expression in Egypt.
The incident has sparked broader discussions about government censorship in the digital age and the persecution of religious converts in various parts of the world. Alliance Defending Freedom International continues to support Abdo in his ongoing legal proceedings.
