For Immediate Release
(Washington, DC ) January 20, 2026 – Christian News Wire
Coptic Solidarity condemns the conviction and sentencing of Dr. Augustinos Samaan following a secret criminal trial that violates Egypt’s Constitution and binding international legal obligations to which Egypt is a party.
On January 3, 2026, an Egyptian court sentenced Dr. Samaan, a 37-year-old Coptic Christian researcher specializing in comparative religion, to five years’ imprisonment with hard labor, with immediate enforcement. The sentence was issued without notification to his legal counsel or family, without public proceedings, and without granting the defense access to the case file or a meaningful opportunity to represent him.
Dr. Samaan had been held in pretrial detention in Case No. 21896 of 2025 (El Basatin Misdemeanors) on charges of “contempt of religion” and “misuse of social media.” His family and legal team expected a detention-renewal hearing on January 6, 2026. Instead, upon arriving at court, they learned that the case had already been tried and decided in their absence.
Court officials later confirmed that the case was heard on December 27, 2025, adjourned, and adjudicated on January 3, 2026—without notice to the defense and without public scrutiny. To date, Dr. Samaan’s lawyers have not been granted access to the case file, undermining the most basic elements of due process and the right to defense.
These proceedings violate Article 96 of the Egyptian Constitution, which guarantees the presumption of innocence, the right to defense, and fair-trial standards. They also contravene Egypt’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including Article 14 (fair and public hearings) and Articles 18 and 19 (freedom of belief and expression).
Dr. Samaan was arrested in the early hours of October 1, 2025, by masked special-forces officers who confiscated his laptop, phone, books, and personal papers. Following National Security investigations—and an ordeal that reportedly included torture—he was initially charged with terrorism-related offenses before prosecutors amended the case to “contempt of religion” under Article 98(f) of the Penal Code.
“This is not a legitimate judicial proceeding—it is punishment by procedure,” Coptic Solidarity stated. “Secret trials and denial of defense rights place Egypt in clear violation of its constitutional and international commitments.”
Coptic Solidarity urges legislators, governments, and international bodies to raise Dr. Samaan’s case urgently and to call on Egyptian authorities to:
- Immediately release Augustinos Samaan and overturn his conviction
- Guarantee the right to defense, transparency, and public hearings
- End the use of blasphemy (“contempt of religion”) laws to silence peaceful expression
- Uphold constitutional and international commitments to freedom of belief and expression.
An appeal hearing is scheduled for January 26, 2026. International scrutiny and diplomatic engagement are urgently needed to prevent further injustice.
Coptic Solidarity is an organization seeking to help Copts of Egypt and other persecuted minorities. We support those in Egypt working for the protection of the fundamental rights of all Egyptian citizens, and advocate in cooperation with the affiliated organizations in Canada and in Europe (Solidarité Copte). For more information, contact coptadvocacy@copticsolidarity.org
