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Severely Persecuted Yemeni Christian Suffering Deteriorating Health in Egyptian Prison

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A Yemeni Christian who has suffered extraordinary long-term persecution for his faith remains unlawfully imprisoned in Egypt and has been denied medical treatment for his deteriorating health, Global Christian Relief (GCR) reports.

A convert from Islam to Christianity since 2008, Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo worked to translate the Bible and other Christian literature in the local Arabic dialect, GCR reports. He eventually had to leave Yemen for Egypt with his five children after his Yemeni Islamic community learned of his faith and killed his wife by setting their home on fire in 2013.

Abdo lived as a refugee in Cairo until his arrest in 2021 following an appearance on a Christian TV channel during which he had discussed his faith and the persecution he experienced in Yemen, GCR said. “He was not told the reason for his arrest,” a rights activist who has been trying to help him told GCR on condition of anonymity. “They did not allow him to contact a lawyer. They refused to show any official papers or answer any questions. They searched the house and seized their laptops, phones and documents.”

Later charged with discrimination against Islam and of belonging to a terror group, Abdo was placed in a harsh maximum security prison in Giza. “Since his arrest, Abdo has been subjected to multiple rights violations, including frequent interrogations by the prosecution, and being forced to sign documents that he did not fully understand. His detention has been lengthened three times by the courts, most recently on April 6, during rulings that were decided without his presence,” GCR said in its report.

Now, Abdo is suffering from chest pains and a liver condition, but has been denied medical care, GCR said. “He has also been locked away in the prison ward reserved for the most severe criminals, where he has dealt with beatings and threats,” GCR added.