A Coptic Christian scholar has been sentenced to a five-year prison term and hard labor for his conviction on blasphemy charges in Egypt.
Augustinos Samaan — whose YouTube postings about Christianity have a following of more than 100,000 — was convicted under Egypt’s blasphemy statutes that “criminalize speech deemed offensive to Islam,” states Alliance Defending Freedom International.
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
On April 24, he filed an appeal of his conviction, reports ADF International, which is supporting his defense.
His YouTube videos provide answers to questions about Christianity and show differences between Christianity and Islam, ADF International explains.
Samaan was initially arrested in October 2025.
Growing trend?
ADF International says Samaan’s case is part of a trend in Egypt. “Since August 2025, dozens of individuals have been arrested in Egypt in connection with online religious content.”
It adds, “Christians … continue to face systemic persecution for their faith, including discrimination, violence and imprisonment.”
World Watch
Egypt is No. 42 on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
Share with others: