The fiancée of an Egyptian Christian convert who faces execution has said she hopes the Netherlands will consider a prisoner exchange to secure his release.
Sophia, an Australian-Egyptian citizen, said Egypt has been trying to free Ahmed Nasser, who was arrested in the Netherlands over alleged intimidation campaigns in 2025 and 2026. She said a swap would be a “humanitarian favour”.
Her own partner, Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, was arrested on 15 July 2025 and has been in detention ever since. His lawyer says prosecutors are pursuing the “maximum penalty” which would mean either an execution or 25 years in prison.
Coptic Solidarity, which is a Washington DC-based advocacy group that campaigns for the rights of Coptic Christians and other religious minorities in Egypt said the charges include contempt for Islam, inciting public disorder and joining a banned terrorist organisation. His lawyers said that group doesn’t exist and that he is being prosecuted for refusing to “renounce Jesus”.
Sophia said hey both posted regularly about Christianity online and built sizeable followings and that Abdelrazek was baptised in 2017.
Sophia - who told The Jerusalem Post she has faced online threats - has also called on the United States to make its roughly $1.5bn (£1.12bn) in annual aid to Egypt conditional on Abdelrazek's release, though neither of them is American.
She said their lawyer has been able to visit him only once, in January, and that she pays about 11,000 Egyptian pounds a month to have food and clothing smuggled into prison.
His defence is due to present its case on 8 December.