Religious Freedom in Egypt: Mistreated because of his faith

He wanted to change his religious affiliation on his identity card and instead ended up in an Egyptian high-security prison - the case of Said Abdelrazek caused an international stir after the public prosecutor's office demanded the maximum sentence for the convert, who had been imprisoned since July 2025, at the beginning of November. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, the 30-year-old faces life imprisonment and, according to unconfirmed media reports, even the death penalty.

Abdelrazek, born into a Muslim family, converted to Christianity around 2017 “after years of personal consideration,” the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) reported. He himself had studied religious studies.

But then, several sources report, the situation became untenable for the man. Changing religion carries a lot of stigma in Egyptian society. Conversions are rarely acknowledged. According to the penal code, apostasy, including Islam, is not a crime.

His own mother reported him to the security authorities, probably in the hope of getting him to turn back, Abdelrazek's Egyptian-Australian fiancée told the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post. He was then put under pressure by officials. His mother prevented him from having contact with his then wife and his son.

But Abdelrazek insisted on his faith. In 2018 he fled to Russia, where he was accepted into the Russian Orthodox Church. The UN refugee agency issued him with papers. But Russian police arrested him in 2023, reports the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. The accusation: He was related to a private video in which Islam was denigrated. He was sentenced to prison.

A year later, Russian authorities deported him to Egypt. Human rights organizations denounced this as a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, according to which people may not be deported to countries where they are at risk of persecution, torture or danger.

According to Amnesty International, Egyptian security forces arrested him immediately after landing in Cairo. He is said to have been held incommunicado for ten days, questioned about his faith and mistreated. He was then released under conditions: He was not allowed to speak publicly or proselytize.

But a year later, in July 2025, the police knocked on Abdelrazek's door again. A short time before, he had tried to have the religious information on his ID changed - in vain. He had also posted online about religion. Authorities arrested him without a warrant. Prosecutors accuse him of founding a banned organization and promoting ideas that are harmful to society, as well as publicly showing contempt for Islam.

“Amnesty International considers the arrest and continued detention of Said Abdelrazek to be arbitrary and calls for his immediate and unconditional release,” said Souleimene Benghazi, the human rights organization’s Egypt representative. He is being held solely because he is exercising his right to freedom of belief. During its research, the NGO found no connections between Abdelrazek and terrorist organizations.

While in custody, security forces allegedly tried to remove his tattooed cross and inflicted bleeding wounds on his arms. They also hung the young man in a “crucifixion position” for hours. The Egyptian Ministry of Justice did not respond to requests for comment.

Human rights organizations complain about the general restrictions on religious freedoms in Egypt. Conversion from Islam to another religion was almost never legally recognized, and vague laws allowed authorities to arbitrarily persecute people. Benghazi describes discrimination, harassment and prosecution. In the second half of 2025, the organization counted at least 29 arrests for online posts with religious content. In several cases, people reported being tortured in detention.

According to Abdelrazek's account on the online service X, the trial in the criminal court in Badr is scheduled for December 8th.