CAIRO, Egypt — In a surprise gesture, Egyptian authorities released a Christian convert from Islam who had been jailed for two years without charges under Egypt’s controversial emergency laws. Officials at the Wadi el-Natroun Prison released Bahaa el-Akkad April 28, and he was reunited with his wife and three children by evening.
No official reason was given for his release. Hours before he was freed, officers from the State Security Investigation had reportedly told el-Akkad that he would remain in prison another 10 years if he did not return to Islam. El-Akkad responded calmly, saying, "God has brought me to this place, and He alone will let me go to my home. You cannot do anything against God." A Christian source in Cairo said el-Akkad is still "closely monitored and under threat all the time."
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