by Coptic Solidarity –
Coptic Solidarity remains deeply concerned about the ongoing disappearance of Mrs. Samah Nashed Ageeb, a 27-year-old married Coptic woman and mother of a seven-year-old son, from the village of Bandar al-Gharbiya in the Gerga district of Sohag Governorate.
Mrs. Samah went missing on Tuesday, December 9, after boarding a tuk-tuk. Her mobile phone was immediately switched off, and her family promptly filed a report at the Gerga Police Station (Administrative Report No. 5006). Shortly afterwards, the family received a message alleging that she had “changed her religion” (to Islam) and was being held at the Suez Security Directorate—claims the family categorically rejects.
According to her relatives, they travelled to Suez—nearly 600 kilometers from Gerga—in an attempt to locate her. Samah’s brother was allowed into the police station and briefly saw her, but was asked to sign a “non-interference” pledge, meaning to let Samah alone. He refused, insisting that his sister was under coercion. Following verbal exchanges, he was detained for several hours before being released. Additional testimonies and video statements from local residents allege that both the brother and the father were subjected to intimidation and abuse.
Witnesses further report that when Samah was seen leaving the police station, she appeared disoriented and incoherent, “as if she had become a completely different person,” raising serious alarm about her physical and psychological state and the conditions under which she is being held.
The family has stressed that this case “has nothing to do with religion.” They vehemently deny that Samah ever appeared to express a desire to convert, noting that she “knows nothing about religions,” and believe that undisclosed factors are behind her disappearance. They warn that the situation threatens to destroy an entire family and inflicts profound harm on a young child who bears no responsibility for the crisis. They urgently request the ability to check on their daughter freely and secure her safe return home.
Since Samah’s disappearance, multiple peaceful protests have taken place in Gerga, expressing frustration, calling for her release and urging President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to intervene. Protesters emphasize that this is the fifth disappearance of a Christian woman in the area of Gerga, intensifying fear, tension, and a sense of collective vulnerability within the community. They stress that immediate state action is critical to maintaining social peace and preventing escalation.
Coptic Solidarity reiterates that this case concerns fundamental human rights: personal liberty, freedom from coercion, family unity, due process, and protection from enforced disappearance. The reported intimidation and detention of family members seeking information—and the alleged coercion surrounding Samah’s case—constitute grave violations of Egypt’s constitution and its international human rights obligations.
We urgently call on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and relevant authorities to:
- Immediately disclose the whereabouts and legal status of Mrs. Samah Nashed Ageeb;
- Guarantee her safety, free will, and unhindered access to her family, free from pressure or coercion;
- Ensure that any statements attributed to her are independently verified as voluntary;
- Investigate all allegations of unlawful detention, intimidation, and abuse of her family members;
- Address the broader pattern of disappearances of Coptic women with transparency and accountability.
It is deeply troubling to witness a process that resembles a hastened “conversion” to Islam—this time involving a young married woman with a child—under the apparent protection of state authorities, while several Muslims who freely chose to leave Islam (to embrace Christianity or simply become non-religious) are actively prosecuted, persecuted at the brutal hands of State Security, and left to rot in prison.
The continued absence of truth, accountability, and protection in cases like Samah’s devastates families and renders state institutions unworthy of trust. Equal protection under the law for all citizens—without discrimination—is essential to Egypt’s stability and to its credibility within the international community.
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A final message to President el-Sisi:
What is happening to Coptic women and girls in Egypt—from enforced disappearances to sexual assaults—qualifies as human trafficking, terrorization, and persecution of a peaceful minority. All of these are crimes against humanity that do not expire under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Your silence regarding these escalating crimes under your tenure exposes you to accusations of complicity, and opens the door to a broader investigation into all the explosions and church burnings that have occurred during your rule and claimed the lives of hundreds of Copts.
We demand that you act immediately to stop these crimes; otherwise, you will be a partner in this complicity… and neither the law nor history is forgiving.
