At 1:30 a.m. on October 1, 2025, masked Egyptian special forces raided the home of our brother in Christ Dr. Augustinos Samaan. PhD in comparative religion, YouTuber with over 100,000 subscribersand seized his laptop, phone, books, and papers. His “crime”? Posting academic and apologetic videos answering questions about Christianity, examining structural and theological differences with Islam, and responding to anti-Christian content circulating in Egypt. Initially hit with terrorism charges (later dropped), he was tried in secret under Article 98(f)—Egypt’s blasphemy/“contempt of religion” law without notice to his lawyers or family, without access to the case file, and without a meaningful defense. On January 3, 2026, he was sentenced to the maximum: five years of hard labor. His family only learned of the verdict when they showed up expecting a routine detention hearing. Egypt’s constitution talks about protecting the three “divine” religions and freedom of belief. In practice, Article 98(f) is applied almost exclusively against Christians, converts, and critics of Islam. Anti-Christian incitement is routine and RARELY punished. A man who used his degree and his platform to explain and defend his faith is locked up; those attacking Christianity are not. Go listen to his videos plenty of people were attacking Christianity in his videos was he suppose to stay silent ? Is that what the state wanted? For him to stay listen when someone attack his relgion while he's simply explaining the differences between relgions? He did it in peace no violence no threats not even yelling. Then arrest him for defending the name of the Lord with truth and facts not even defending himself. When claiming to protect all 3 divine religions why don't they open the Bible and see where the Lord has called us to defend not deny his name ? While incarcerated he has been tortured, beaten, burned with cigarettes by Muslim inmates while guards looked the other way and his legs were VERY swollen, denied basic hygiene (lice infestation, refused the ability to wash), starved, and denied clean water and medical care. Unfortunately he was targeted as the only Christian in his cell. Pressure to renounce his faith has been reported by advocates, lawyers, and his own mother's words which ended up being her dying wish 💔 Three months after the sentence, his mother died of a blood clot and grief. He was denied the chance to bury her. Egypt claims to protect religious freedom and receives substantial Western aid. Yet it convicts a scholar for comparative religion content, violates basic due-process rights, and leaves a Christian prisoner in documented abusive conditions with zero accountability. This is not protection of social peace. It is selective persecution when the world isn't watching. The world is watching now 🔥 Egypt took EVERYTHING from Augustinos Saaman his freedom his career his dream his human rights his safety even his mother 💔 because someone threw a tantrum and didn't like the way he was explaining the differences between religions online 🤬 P.o.v. Egypt has taken more from Augustinos Samaan then they can ever compensate for. Yet they choose to put him through 5 years of hard physical labour instead of making things right they rather silence the ones they claim to protect under all 3 divine religions instead of actually protecting them. It doesn't have to be like this 💔 The mental physical emotional and spiritual hell he has been through, how much more can he handle 😔 Please keep our brother in Christ Augustinos Samaan in your 🙏🙏 #FreeAugustinosSamaan #EndCopticPersecution #EndChristianPersecution #21moredays