Augustinos Samaan, a Coptic Christian scholar and content creator with more than 100,000 YouTube subscribers, has been sentenced to five years in prison with hard labour in Egypt after posting videos defending and explaining Christianity.
Egyptian authorities charged Samaan under Article 98(f) of the Egyptian Penal Code — a provision commonly used in blasphemy-related prosecutions. He also faced charges of “misuse of social media” and “contempt of religion” for content deemed insulting to Islam. He was initially detained in October 2025. ADF International described his videos as “largely academic,” with many seeking “to answer common questions about Christianity.”
Samaan lodged an appeal on April 24. ADF International’s Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom Kelsey Zorzi stated: “Prosecuting Augustinos’ peaceful expression is a clear violation of religious freedom. Sharing content about your faith online should never lead to criminal punishment.”
ADF International said Samaan’s case reflects a wider pattern of increasing enforcement against online Christian religious speech in Egypt. 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 engaged in religious debate.
Christians are estimated to make up between 10% and 15% of Egypt’s population. Rights groups say many continue to face systemic discrimination, violence, detention, and legal pressure despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.
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