Coptic Christian sentenced to 5 years in prison for YouTube evangelism files appeal

A 37-year-old Coptic Christian researcher and YouTuber has filed an appeal to overturn his conviction for posting online videos about Christianity. He was sentenced in January to five years’ imprisonment with hard labor.

Augustinos Samaan filed the appeal last week, according to ADF International, the international religious freedom legal advocacy organization representing him.

He was arrested in the early hours of Oct. 1, 2025, by masked special forces officers who seized his laptop, phone, books and personal papers, reports Coptic Solidarity, a U.S.-based advocacy group for Egyptian Copts and persecuted minorities.

Samaan runs a YouTube channel with more than 100,000 subscribers. His videos are largely academic, addressing common questions about Christianity and exploring theological and philosophical differences between Christianity and Islam.

He was initially charged with terrorism-related offenses before prosecutors amended the case to “contempt of religion” under Article 98(f), Egypt’s primary blasphemy provision, and “misuse of social media.”

“Prosecuting Augustinos’ peaceful expression is a clear violation of religious freedom,” said Kelsey Zorzi, director of advocacy for global religious freedom at ADF International. “Everyone has the fundamental right to peacefully express their faith. We hope that Egypt will reverse this egregious conviction and release Augustinos.”

The trial was conducted without notice to his family or legal counsel.

The case, registered as Case No. 21896 of 2025 in El Basatin Misdemeanors Court, was heard on Dec. 27, 2025, adjourned, and decided on Jan. 3. His family and lawyers arrived at court on Jan. 6 expecting a routine detention renewal hearing and learned the verdict had already been issued.

Samaan’s detention reportedly included torture during National Security investigations. Coptic Solidarity said the proceedings violated Article 96 of the Egyptian Constitution, which guarantees the presumption of innocence, the right to defense and fair trial standards, as well as Egypt’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including provisions covering fair and public hearings and freedom of belief and expression.

Samaan’s case is one of dozens to emerge since August 2025, when Egyptian authorities began arresting individuals over online religious content. Those arrested include young people posting on social media, converts speaking about their faith and individuals engaging in religious discussion or critique, according to ADF International.

In one parallel case, Abdulbaqi Saaed Abdo, a Christian father of five, was imprisoned on blasphemy charges for sharing his beliefs in a private Christian Facebook group. With legal support, Abdo was released from prison and relocated to another country.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan watchdog tasked with advising the federal government on global religious freedom violations, has listed Samaan among individuals imprisoned for religious activity and noted his January 2026 sentencing.

Zorzi said the Egyptian government is increasingly monitoring Christians and other religious minorities online.

“More people are being imprisoned simply for expressing their beliefs through social media,” she said, calling on Egyptian authorities to honor their commitments to protect religious freedom and freedom of expression.

Christians make up about 10% to 15% of Egypt’s population. Egypt’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, though blasphemy prosecutions under Article 98(f) continue to be applied to speech deemed offensive to Islam.