An activist has been released from a detention centre in Egypt after speaking out against the mistreatment of Coptic Christians.  

Religious freedom groups have welcomed the news of Ramy Kamil’s release, with some describing the charges he faced as “spurious”. 

His release comes one day after the Coptic Christmas – the end of two 45-day extensions to his time in the detention centre. 

He was detained following accusations that he had joined a terror group, and that he was broadcasting false information and receiving foreign funding.

However, many believe he was jailed as a result of his human rights activism, which is centered around the treatment of Coptic Christians in Egypt. 

According to the Jubilee Campaign, Kamil was “ambushed and arrested” in November 2019, despite there being no warrant. Personal information and possessions were confiscated by police. 

It’s believed he was then physically assaulted by the plainclothes police officers and beaten into giving up his passwords. 

His two years in the detention centre were often spent in solitary confinement.

Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch said on Twitter: “Great that President Sisi’s Egyptian government finally releases Coptic rights activist Ramy Kamil after wrongfully forcing him to spend two years in detention. He never should have been jailed. There are tens of thousands of imprisoned Egyptians like him.” 

According to Open Doors USA, Egypt is the 16th worst country in the world for Christian persecution, despite being home to around 16 million Christians.