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
Current Status: Not 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 is 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(w) 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.
Abdo is married with children.
USCIRF Country Update: Religious Freedom Conditions in Egypt August 2023
"The Egyptian initiative warns against deporting a Yemeni asylum seeker to his country because of his declaration of his conversion to Christianity, and expresses its fears that he will be in grave danger" Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)