By Coptic Solidarity –
Lord Alton of Liverpool has put the case of Said Abdelrazek before the UK government in a written question submitted to the House of Lords on 29 October. He asks what representations the government has made to Egypt about Abdelrazek, who has been detained since 15 July 2025, and whether his treatment is compatible with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which protects freedom of religion or belief. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is due to answer by 12 November.
Abdelrazek, an Egyptian who converted from Islam to Christianity, was arrested at his Cairo home in July 2025. After nine months in pretrial detention, he was sent before a terrorism circuit court in Badr. Amnesty International says the charges stem from his conversion and religious beliefs, describes his detention as arbitrary, and has called for his immediate and unconditional release. It reported in May that he was being held at 10th of Ramadan prison amid concerns about his health. These are Amnesty’s findings and demands; the charges remain allegations before the Egyptian court.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom also lists Abdelrazek as detained for his religious conversion and activity. It reports that Egyptian prosecutors charged him with “contempt for Islam,” joining a banned organization, inciting unrest and disseminating false information. His case therefore raises a direct question about whether the state is using security and religion-related charges to punish the expression of a Christian convert’s beliefs.
Lord Alton’s question asks the UK government to address both its diplomatic action and its assessment of Abdelrazek’s rights. It follows an April 2026 Commons question about the impending trial, to which a minister referred back to an earlier answer. The forthcoming Lords response offers a further opportunity for the government to state plainly whether it has raised Abdelrazek’s case with Egyptian officials and what it has sought on his behalf.
According to an October statement from Abdelrazek’s lawyers relayed by Coptic Solidarity, the court had scheduled prosecution and defense arguments for 3 November.
