Christian World | Egyptian prosecutors asked a terrorism court to give convert Said Abdelrazek the maximum penalty, death or 25 years, his lawyer and Coptic Solidarity say

ACW | November 10, 2026 — Egyptian prosecutors have asked a state security court in Cairo to impose the maximum penalty on Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, a convert from Islam to Christianity, the Washington-based group Coptic Solidarity said on Monday.

The request was made at a hearing on Nov. 3 and was confirmed by his lawyer's office, the group said. His lawyer, Said Fayez, told The Jerusalem Post that prosecutors were seeking either execution or 25 years in prison.

Abdelrazek is on trial on charges of "contempt for Islam," joining a banned terrorist group, inciting unrest and spreading false information. Fayez's office told the paper the group does not exist and that the case stems from his refusal to renounce Jesus.

Citing accounts it said had not been independently verified, Coptic Solidarity reported that the prosecutor told the court "Egypt is, and will remain, an Islamic state." Such remarks raise questions about the atmosphere in which the case is being heard, the group said.

The court adjourned the case to Dec. 8, when the defence is due to present its arguments. Egypt's government has not commented in published reports.

His fiancée, who asked that her surname be withheld, told The Jerusalem Post he had been tortured in prison and that she is barred from visiting him. She urged the United States to tie its annual aid to Egypt to his release and better treatment of religious minorities.

Background: Egyptian police arrested Abdelrazek in Cairo on July 15, 2025, The Christian Post reported. He converted to Christianity in 2018, and Egypt's Supreme State Security Prosecution charged him on July 22, 2025, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which lists him in its database of freedom of religion or belief victims.

Why it matters: Amnesty International has called for his release and an independent investigation into his alleged torture, Coptic Solidarity said. The group called the trial a "defining test" for religious freedom in Egypt, The Christian Post reported.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Coptic Solidarity — Prosecutors seek maximum penalty for convert; The Jerusalem Post — Interview with Abdelrazek's lawyer and fiancée; USCIRF (background) — Said Abdelrazek; The Christian Post — Fiancée pleads for convert facing execution

Photo: Said Abdelrazek (Coptic Solidarity)