Coptic Christian tortured in Egypt will stay in U.S.

A Coptic Christian who feared torture if he was returned to Egypt will be allowed to stay in the United States indefinitely, a federal court in Pennsylvania has ruled.

Several human rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, lobbied the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to waive the deportation of 38-year-old Sameh Khouzam, which had been scheduled for June 18.

Khouzam was tortured and detained in Egypt when he refused to convert to Islam. After he fled to the United States for asylum in 1998, an Egyptian court found him guilty of murder.

Though the Egyptian government promised not to torture Khouzam should he return to the country, the District Court of Pennsylvania found compelling evidence that deporting him would cause irreparable harm.

Human rights groups say Egypt has a record of torture, especially against Coptic Christians.