An Egyptian Christian, arrested on 7 August for alleged evangelising of Muslims in suburban Cairo, could be held indefinite-ly in prison on a false accusation of blasphemy, his lawyer said.
Medhat Ishak, a 35-year-old Christian from Ebid village in Minya Governorate, was arrested while handing out Bibles and accused of evangelism.
The day after his arrest, a judge amended the charge to ‘defamation of a revealed religion’ and ordered him to be held for 15 days. On 24 August, the judge extended his detention for another 15 days, said Ishak’s attorney, Rafik Rafaat. He added that he suspects the judge will keep extending the detention order, in violation of Egyptian law, until the case falls out of the public eye, and then hand Ishak a prison sentence of 1–5 years.
