Egypt seeks death penalty or 25 years for Christian convert — Jerusalem Post

Egyptian prosecutors are seeking the maximum punishment — the death penalty or 25 years in prison — for Sayyed Mansour Rizk Abdelrazek, who converted from Islam to Christianity. The man was detained in July 2025 and has remained in custody since then, The Jerusalem Post reports, citing his lawyer, Saeed Fayez.

Charges and the defense's position

According to the human rights organization Coptic Solidarity, Abdelrazek has been charged with contempt for Islam, incitement to public disorder, spreading false information, and membership in a banned terrorist organization. Fayez's law firm says that the organization their client is accused of being linked to is fictitious and that the proceedings are related to his refusal to renounce Jesus.

Abdelrazek's fiancée, Sophia, who holds Australian and Egyptian citizenship, said that authorities have still not named the alleged terrorist organization. According to her, at least 180 other Christians may be held in Egypt on similar charges.

Allegations of treatment in custody

According to Sophia, after Abdelrazek was deported from Russia to Egypt in 2024, he was briefly detained and tortured. She said officials tried to remove his cross-shaped tattoo, brought Islamic religious figures to him, and kept him attached to a wall. She also claimed that he was required to return to Islam, criticize Christianity on social media, and provide information about priests and new converts.

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Sophia said that after his release into his family's custody, Abdelrazek was given the condition of returning to Islam. When he refused, he was, according to her, required to attend Islam classes. In July 2025, he was rearrested after a social media post about his intention to change his official religious status.

Defense prepares for hearings

The fiancée said that the lawyer was able to visit the prisoner only once — in January. According to her, they were prohibited from directly giving him food, clothing, and other necessities at the 10th of Ramadan prison. Sophia claims she is forced to send assistance through other prisoners and their families.

Abdelrazek's lawyers are to present the defense's position on December 8, 2026. Coptic Solidarity called the case a defining test for the future of religious freedom in Egypt.