by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
CAIRO (Worthy News) – There was mounting concern Monday over the fate of an Egyptian Christian who hosts a channel on the video-sharing platform YouTube, after authorities sentenced him to five years of hard labor for content that rights groups say defended Christianity online.
Augustinos Samaan was convicted of “contempt of religion” and “misuse of social media,” the U.S.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) confirmed.
Samaan, who has about 100,000 subscribers, focuses on responding to anti-Christian material circulating in Egypt, according to Coptic Christian sources.
Arrested in October, the Christian YouTuber was initially held for 15 days pending investigation, sources said.
However, FDD research analyst Mariam Wahba warned that brief detentions are frequently extended through repeated renewals, effectively keeping suspects jailed for months before trial despite legal limits.
WATCHDOGS QUESTION FAIRNESS OF TRIAL
Rights groups said Samaan was sentenced without a fair trial, alleging his defense team was denied access to the case file and a meaningful opportunity to represent him, raising serious due-process concerns.
“The legal proceedings appear to have been a sham. His defense counsel and family arrived at court only to discover he had already been sentenced,” added the Christian Emergency Alliance (CEA), a watchdog closely following the case.
Samaan, 37, holds a PhD in comparative religion and has been engaged in Christian apologetics, the CEA said. “At one point, he spoke about anti-Christian incitement — for this he was arrested under a fraudulent charge of blasphemy,” the group added.
Egyptian authorities have not commented on his imprisonment.
However, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has publicly claimed Egypt is “committed” to protecting freedom of worship and belief and to strengthening interfaith dialogue as a cornerstone of “tolerance, coexistence, and peace.”
PRESSURE ON CHRISTIANS CONTINUES
Advocates say the latest case highlights ongoing pressure on Christians in Egypt, where blasphemy-related provisions are used against religious expression.
Egypt ranks 42nd on the Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, according to the advocacy group.
Advocacy organizations supporting persecuted Christians say many believers in Egypt continue to practice their faith despite reported arrests, intimidation, violence, and legal pressure.
Christians comprise roughly 10 percent of Egypt’s predominantly Muslim population of more than 111 million people, according to estimates by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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