Additional Name(s): Abdul-Baqi Saeed Abdo, عبد الباقي سعيد عبده

Gender: Male

Current Location: 10th Ramadan Prison

Perpetrator: Egypt

Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other

Health Concerns: Heart and liver conditions

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes

Date of Detainment: December/15/2021

Date of Release: January//2025

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Other) Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Online Activity Practicing Religion as a Convert Religious Belief Religious Expression

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Terrorism

Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo

Extra Bio Info:

Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo was detained for his religious conversion.

On December 15, 2021, authorities arrested Abdo, a Yemeni refugee, from his Cairo home. Abdo's arrest followed his appearance on a Christian TV channel talking about his conversion to Christianity and alleged persecution Christians in Yemen face. Abdo had also been involved in Facebook groups for Christian converts. He was charged with joining a terrorist group (Art. 86 ECC), contempt of Islam (Art. 98(f) ECC), and discrimination against Islam (Art. 161 ECC).

Authorities have attempted to refoul Abdo to Yemen, despite him being at risk if returned.

Abdo's health has reportedly deteriorated while in prison as authorities have failed to provide adequate medical care for his heart and liver conditions. In April 2024, he was denied medical treatment by prison authorities after reporting chest pains.

In May 2024, Egyptian prison authorities placed Abdo in solitary confinement after a prisoner reported him for copying Bible verses on scraps of paper. While in confinement, authorities rejected his family from attending routine monthly visits and prevented him from showering or changing his clothes for a full week.

In August 2024, Abdo began a hunger strike in protest of his prolonged arbitrary detention.

In January 2025, Egyptian authorities released Abdo from detention. In coordination with Canadian and UNHCR officials, Egyptian authorities facilitated his transport from Egypt to Canada, where he now lives with his family. Despite being released, Egyptian judicial authorities have not dropped the charges against him. 

Abdo is married with children.

Publicly Available Information:

Oct 21, 2022

Seven out of ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations have blasphemy laws currently enshrined in their legal codes. USCIRF’s recent issue update reviews these blasphemy laws and their enforcement within this region and highlights recent cases and provides analysis on related laws. Blasphemy is defined as “the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or sacred things.” In particular, blasphemy laws remain an ongoing religious freedom violation in Indonesia and Malaysia as well as a potent tool for authoritarian and right-wing forces in Burma and Thailand. While many such laws are a legacy of colonialism, some countries in the region have expanded their legal restrictions in the subsequent decades since independence.

USCIRF Policy Analyst, Patrick Greenwalt, joins Director of Research and Policy, Elizabeth Cassidy, to discuss this recent report and take a deeper dive into the background and present context of these blasphemy laws.

Read USCIRF's report on Blasphemy and Related Laws in ASEAN Member Countries.

Additional Name(s): کامیار حبیبی

Gender: Male

Current Location: Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Bahá`í

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 5 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: August/5/2023

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Education Rights Religious Activity Religious Belief Religious Instruction & Teaching Singing, Playing, & Producing Religious Songs & Music

Nature of Charges: Banned Organization Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials

Kamyar Habibi

Extra Bio Info:

Kamyar Habibi is imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

On September 10, 2022, authorities in Karaj arrested Habibi reportedly for his being Baha'i.

On December 13, 2022, Habibi was released from prison. Habibi was accused of authoring a music book to promote Baha'ism, teaching music to promote Baha'ism, and jeopardizing national security.

In February 2023, it was reported that the Karaj Revolutionary Court had sentenced Habibi to five years in prison for “insulting and propaganda against Islamic Sharia, forming and participating in groups to act against national security through teaching and preaching the Baha’i faith to children in Kindergartens, promoting against Islamic Sharia through holding coaching courses." The conviction appears to stem from his religious educational activities to children.

In June 2023, it was reported that Branch 12 of Alborz Provincial Court of Appeal had upheld Habibi's sentence. 

On August 5, 2023, Habibi was reportedly taken to Central Prison in Karaj to begin serving his sentence.

Habibi reportedly suffers from medical issues.

Related Cases: Saman Ostovar, Sabin Yazdani, Mahsa Tirgar Bahnemiri, Rameleh Tirgarnejad, Elham Shareghi Arani, Nakisa Sadeghi, Sadaf Sheikhzadeh, Shahrzad Mastouri, Negin Rezaie

Publicly Available Information:
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