Egyptian Convert Faces 25-Year Sentence or Execution

Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek faces a potential prison term of 25 years or the death penalty, according to his legal team. Egyptian prosecutors have formally requested one of these two outcomes for the convert from Islam to Christianity. Abdelrazek has remained in custody since July 2025. His lawyer, Said Fayez, confirmed the details of the prosecution's demands to media outlets.

The case centers on four specific criminal charges. Coptic Solidarity, a nongovernmental organization monitoring the case, listed the accusations as contempt for Islam, inciting public disorder, spreading false information, and membership in a banned terrorist organization. Fayez’s office disputes the validity of the final charge. The lawyers argue that the organization in question does not exist. They maintain that the prosecution is a direct result of Abdelrazek’s refusal to renounce his Christian faith. Sophia, his fiancée, stated that authorities have not named the specific group he allegedly joined.

Abdelrazek’s path to prosecution began with his public conversion around 2017. He first encountered Christian texts in an open Bible at a neighbor’s shop. He later studied with a Protestant Baptist church and was baptized. After announcing his new faith, his mother reported him to security services. Authorities subsequently detained him for hours to persuade him to return to Islam. In 2023, he was arrested again over allegations that he posted videos showing the desecration of the Quran. He served one year in prison before fleeing to Russia.

His time in exile ended when Egypt deported him despite a Russian High Court ruling that allowed him to stay. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had previously recognized his asylum case. Upon his return to Egypt in 2024, authorities briefly detained him again. Sophia alleged that officers attempted to remove his cross tattoo during this period. They also held him against a wall in a crucifixion position without nails. Officials reportedly tried to recruit him as an informant on priests and other converts.

Abdelrazek was released into his family’s custody in 2024 with the condition that he return to Islam. When he refused, authorities required him to attend Islamic classes. Sophia described increasing pressure from his family to participate in religious practices. He borrowed money to secure a separate apartment. The couple planned to marry at the Australian Embassy during a visit in April 2025, but Sophia’s illness delayed the trip. He was rearrested following a social media post where he announced plans to change his legal religious status.

Sophia, an Australian-Egyptian citizen, currently spends approximately 11,000 Egyptian pounds each month to arrange for food and clothing to be smuggled into 10th of Ramadan Prison. She met Abdelrazek through social media in 2021. Her lawyer has visited the prisoner only once, in January. Sophia and other supporters are barred from visiting or sending necessities directly. She has also faced online abuse and death threats while advocating for his release.

Sophia’s appeals now focus on international intervention. She is seeking support from the United States and the Netherlands. She hopes Washington will make its annual aid package to Egypt, valued at approximately 1.5 billion dollars, conditional on Abdelrazek’s release. She also hopes Dutch authorities will consider a prisoner exchange. Coptic Solidarity described the proceedings as a test of religious freedom in Egypt. The organization warned that a severe sentence could encourage similarly harsh prosecutions of other religious converts.

The defense is scheduled to present its arguments in court on December 8, 2026. Until then, Abdelrazek remains in detention. The prosecution’s request for a maximum sentence sets the stage for the upcoming hearing.