A man has been sentenced to five years in prison with hard labour in Egypt after posting online videos about Christianity, according to Christian legal advocacy group ADF International.
Augustinos Samaan, a Coptic Christian scholar and content creator with more than 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, was convicted under Egypt’s blasphemy laws for videos defending and explaining the Christian faith.
According to ADF International, Egyptian authorities charged him under Article 98(f) of the Egyptian Penal Code - a provision commonly used in blasphemy-related prosecutions.
He also faced accusations of “misuse of social media” and “contempt of religion,” offences linked to content considered insulting to Islam.
Samaan lodged an appeal on April 24 in an effort to quash the ruling on the grounds that it is a violation of his religious freedom.
Condemning the ruling, ADF’s Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom Kelsey Zorzi said: “Prosecuting Augustinos’ peaceful expression is a clear violation of religious freedom. Sharing content about your faith online should never lead to criminal punishment.”
She urged Egyptian authorities to overturn the conviction and release Samaan, arguing that freedom of religion and freedom of expression are fundamental rights that must be protected.
ADF International said Samaan was initially detained in October 2025 over videos it described as “largely academic,” many of which sought “to answer common questions about Christianity.”
Some also examined theological and philosophical differences between Christianity and Islam.
The group said his case reflects a wider pattern of increasing enforcement against online Christian religious speech in Egypt.
Ms Zorzi commented: “The Egyptian government is increasingly monitoring the online activity of Christians and other religious minorities, while more people are being imprisoned simply for expressing their beliefs through social media.
“We call on the government to reverse course and honour its commitments to protect religious freedom and freedom of expression.”
Reports say scores of people have been detained under blasphemy laws over religious material shared online since August 2025, including Christian converts, young social media users discussing their faith, and individuals partaking in religious debate or criticism.
Christians are estimated to make up between 10% to 15 % of Egypt’s population, but rights groups say many continue to face systemic discrimination, violence, detainment and legal pressure despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.
ADF International also pointed to the case of Abdulbaqi Saaed Abdo, a Christian father of 5, who had earlier been jailed for expressing his faith in a Christian Facebook group.
Following support from the organisation, he was freed and safely resettled abroad.
