An Egyptian man who converted from Islam to Christianity is facing a possible death sentence after prosecutors sought the maximum punishment against him over charges including contempt for Islam and membership of an alleged terrorist organisation.
The man, Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, has been detained since July 2025, following his arrest in Cairo after attempting to have his Christian faith reflected in his official identity documents.
His lawyer, Said Fayez, said prosecutors requested the maximum penalty, which could mean execution or 25 years in prison, following a court hearing on November 3, 2026.
The defence is expected to present its arguments on December 8.
According to Coptic Solidarity, a Washington-based organisation advocating for Egyptian Copts and other religious minorities, Abdelrazek faces charges of joining a banned terrorist organisation, contempt for Islam, spreading false information and inciting public disorder.
The organisation said the terrorism-related charge carries the possibility of a death sentence.
However, Fayez disputed the allegations, arguing that the terrorist organisation his client was accused of belonging to does not exist. He maintained that Abdelrazek was being prosecuted for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.
The case has attracted international attention, with Abdelrazek’s Australian-Egyptian fiancée, identified only as Sophia, appealing to the United States and the Netherlands to intervene and secure his release.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Sophia urged Washington to make its annual aid of approximately $1.5 billion to Egypt conditional on Abdelrazek’s release and improved treatment of religious minorities.
She also appealed to the Dutch government to consider a prisoner exchange involving her fiancé and Ahmed Nasser, an Egyptian national detained in the Netherlands.
Sophia described the proposed exchange as a humanitarian gesture, saying she and Abdelrazek had no intention of settling in the Netherlands or depending on its public resources.
Abdelrazek is currently being held at the 10th of Ramadan Prison. Sophia said his family members were barred from visiting him or sending food and clothing, while their lawyer had managed to visit him only once, in January.
She said she spends about 11,000 Egyptian pounds, approximately $220, monthly to arrange for food and other necessities to reach him.
She also alleged that Egyptian authorities tortured her fiancé after his deportation from Russia in 2024, including attempts to remove a cross tattoo from his body.
According to Sophia, authorities also pressured him to return to Islam and use his social media accounts to criticise Christianity.
Abdelrazek, 30, was born into a Muslim family but became interested in Christianity after reading the Sermon on the Mount in a Bible he found open at a neighbour’s shop.
Sophia said he later studied the Bible with a Protestant Baptist church and was baptised around 2017.
His conversion reportedly strained his family relationships, with his mother informing security authorities after he publicly declared his Christian faith.
In 2023, he was arrested over videos allegedly showing the desecration of the Quran and spent a year in prison.
He later travelled to Russia, where he sought asylum and joined the Russian Orthodox Church. However, Russian authorities detained him for 11 months before withdrawing his refugee protection and deporting him to Egypt in 2024.
Following his return, he was detained and subsequently released into his family’s custody on the condition that he return to Islam. When he refused, authorities reportedly ordered him to attend Islamic religious classes.
Meanwhile, Sophia said she had received death threats online from individuals described as Egyptian Islamists.
A petition organised by Coptic Solidarity calling for Abdelrazek’s release has attracted more than 35,000 signatures.
The organisation has warned that a severe sentence could set a precedent for the prosecution of other people who convert from Islam to Christianity in Egypt.
The man, Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, has been detained since July 2025, following his arrest in Cairo after attempting to have his Christian faith reflected in his official identity documents.
His lawyer, Said Fayez, said prosecutors requested the maximum penalty, which could mean execution or 25 years in prison, following a court hearing on November 3, 2026.
The defence is expected to present its arguments on December 8.
According to Coptic Solidarity, a Washington-based organisation advocating for Egyptian Copts and other religious minorities, Abdelrazek faces charges of joining a banned terrorist organisation, contempt for Islam, spreading false information and inciting public disorder.
The organisation said the terrorism-related charge carries the possibility of a death sentence.
However, Fayez disputed the allegations, arguing that the terrorist organisation his client was accused of belonging to does not exist. He maintained that Abdelrazek was being prosecuted for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.
The case has attracted international attention, with Abdelrazek’s Australian-Egyptian fiancée, identified only as Sophia, appealing to the United States and the Netherlands to intervene and secure his release.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Sophia urged Washington to make its annual aid of approximately $1.5 billion to Egypt conditional on Abdelrazek’s release and improved treatment of religious minorities.
She also appealed to the Dutch government to consider a prisoner exchange involving her fiancé and Ahmed Nasser, an Egyptian national detained in the Netherlands.
Sophia described the proposed exchange as a humanitarian gesture, saying she and Abdelrazek had no intention of settling in the Netherlands or depending on its public resources.
Abdelrazek is currently being held at the 10th of Ramadan Prison. Sophia said his family members were barred from visiting him or sending food and clothing, while their lawyer had managed to visit him only once, in January.
She said she spends about 11,000 Egyptian pounds, approximately $220, monthly to arrange for food and other necessities to reach him.
She also alleged that Egyptian authorities tortured her fiancé after his deportation from Russia in 2024, including attempts to remove a cross tattoo from his body.
According to Sophia, authorities also pressured him to return to Islam and use his social media accounts to criticise Christianity.
Abdelrazek, 30, was born into a Muslim family but became interested in Christianity after reading the Sermon on the Mount in a Bible he found open at a neighbour’s shop.
Sophia said he later studied the Bible with a Protestant Baptist church and was baptised around 2017.
His conversion reportedly strained his family relationships, with his mother informing security authorities after he publicly declared his Christian faith.
In 2023, he was arrested over videos allegedly showing the desecration of the Quran and spent a year in prison.
He later travelled to Russia, where he sought asylum and joined the Russian Orthodox Church. However, Russian authorities detained him for 11 months before withdrawing his refugee protection and deporting him to Egypt in 2024.
Following his return, he was detained and subsequently released into his family’s custody on the condition that he return to Islam. When he refused, authorities reportedly ordered him to attend Islamic religious classes.
Meanwhile, Sophia said she had received death threats online from individuals described as Egyptian Islamists.
A petition organised by Coptic Solidarity calling for Abdelrazek’s release has attracted more than 35,000 signatures.
The organisation has warned that a severe sentence could set a precedent for the prosecution of other people who convert from Islam to Christianity in Egypt.