Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek (also spelled Saeid Mansour Abdulraziq) is an Egyptian Christian convert from Islam currently on trial in Cairo on terrorism-related offenses. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty. Under Egypt’s counterterrorism law, founders and leaders of terrorist organizations are subject to the death penalty or life imprisonment.
He converted to Christianity in 2016 and joined the Russian Orthodox Church in Egypt, enduring family rejection, societal hostility, and police intimidation for sharing his faith publicly.
In 2018, he traveled to Russia, where he sought asylum and began publicly criticizing Islam. His online posts angered segments of Russia’s Muslim community, leading to his arrest and a one-year prison sentence. Russia then revoked his asylum and deported him to Egypt in 2024.
That deportation violated international law: the UNHCR had previously determined Abdelrazek qualified for international protection, and a Russian court had issued a binding order on July 17, 2024, prohibiting his deportation. Rights advocates condemn the move as illegal refoulement.
Upon arrival in Egypt, Egyptian authorities held him incommunicado for approximately ten days, then interrogated him about his religious beliefs, pressured him to reconsider his faith, asked him to monitor other converts, and ordered him to delete his social media accounts. Authorities released him with instructions not to speak publicly or proselytize.
In July 2025, he asked a lawyer to help him obtain new identification documents reflecting his Christian faith. He was arrested on July 15 at the Al-Matareiah police station in Cairo. On July 22, Egypt’s State Security Court charged him with “joining a terrorist organisation,” “stirring unrest,” and “spreading false news.”
His trial opened April 21, 2026, before Egypt’s First Criminal Terrorism Circuit in Badr. His legal team submitted motions requesting time to prepare a full defense; the court granted the adjournment and scheduled the next hearing for June 15.
Prosecutors accused Abdelrazek of establishing and leading an unlawful group, joining a banned organization, financing it, promoting beliefs deemed harmful to national unity and social peace, showing contempt for Islam, and challenging its fundamental principles. Apostasy, leaving Islam for another faith, is not formally codified as a crime in Egypt, but is often prosecuted under broadly defined security charges. The pattern spans multiple cases and years.
Hellbound and Down 