A total of 76 Egyptian detainees in Saudi Arabia are to be released, according to a Foreign Ministry statement released on Thursday.
Amru Muawad, an assistant to Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated that the “pardoning” by Saudi Arabian authorities arrives in light of King Salman’s succession to power.
The Foreign Ministry will follow up on the procedures to be taken to release the detainees, the statement said.
According to 2012 statistics by Al-Karama, an NGO, the total number of political detainees in Saudi Arabia is 30,000, out of which 1,000 are Egyptians.
Hundreds of Egyptian citizens in Saudi Arabia are unfairly detained for long periods, tried in unjust trials and subjected to torture and mistreatment, the NGO said.
The current Egyptian and Saudi governments maintain strong relations as Saudi is one of Egypt’s largest foreign aid donors. Egypt supported Saudi Arabia in its airstrikes against Yemen, in “Operation Decisive Storm”.
The Saudi embassy’s media office could not be reached for comment.
