Today, Thursday, Reporters Without Borders called on the Egyptian and Saudi authorities to immediately release all journalists detained in the two countries.
This came in a statement of the organization concerned with the defense of media freedoms (based in Paris), following the death of prominent Egyptian journalists Mohamed Mounir and Saudi Saleh al-Shehhi shortly after their sudden release.
The statement stated that the death of Munir and Al-Shehhi after their sudden release, as their health deteriorated, is a warning signal to the Egyptian and Saudi authorities for the immediate release of all detained journalists in order to avoid a "real disaster."
"The prominent Egyptian journalists Mohamed Mounir and Saudi Salih al-Shehhi died on July 13 and 19, respectively, shortly after the authorities suddenly released them from prison without prior notice," the statement said.
He added, "Mounir was arrested in Egypt on charges of spreading false news, misusing social media platforms and joining a banned group, after an interview he gave with the Qatari satellite channel."
While the statement stressed that "the Saudi authorities suddenly released journalist Saleh Al-Shehhi in May, while serving a five-year prison sentence for insulting the royal court, due to a televised speech on corruption within the authority circles in his country."
"The health of the journalists deteriorated rapidly after their release, as Mounir announced that he had contracted the Coronavirus, which killed his life, while Al-Shehhi's death was more mysterious and less clear."
And called "Reporters Without Borders" an independent international investigation to determine the responsibility of the Saudi prison administration for the death of al-Shehhi, saying, "Regardless of the reasons for his early death, Al-Shehhi spent the last two years of his life in prison as a result of an arbitrary ruling."
In turn, Sabrina Benoy, the WHO's Middle East official, explained in the statement that "the death of Mounir and Al-Shehhi during the Corona epidemic highlights the urgent need for the release of journalists in Egypt and Saudi Arabia to avoid a tragic fate."
Benawy urged the Egyptian and Saudi authorities to seize the opportunity of Eid al-Adha, to save the journalists held in the prisons of the two countries, according to the same statement.
Previous estimates by Reporters Without Borders indicate that there are 30 arrested journalists in Egypt and 33 in Saudi Arabia, with countries ranked late in the World Press Freedom Index for 2020 (166 for the first and 170 for the second among 180 countries in the world).
International criticism is usually directed at Egypt regarding the restriction of public freedoms, but the authorities have repeatedly stressed their commitment to abide by law and human rights principles.
As for the Saudi authorities, they do not initially announce the numbers or health conditions of prisoners of conscience and human rights advocates, and refuse to allow human rights organizations to monitor the conditions of detainees.