The international Reporters without Borders organization called on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release all arrested journalists in the two countries. Reporters without Borders urged the Egyptian authorities to seize the opportunity of Eid al-Adha to save the journalists held in prisons. This came in a statement by the organization, after the death of the prominent journalist Mohamed Mounir, days after his release.

The statement stated that the sudden death of Mounir due to the deterioration of his health, is a warning signal to the Egyptian authorities to immediately release all detained journalists, in order to avoid a “real disaster.” Mounir was arrested on charges of spreading false news, misusing social media platforms and joining a banned group after an interview he gave with Al-Jazeera, after his release, his health deteriorated rapidly, as he was declared infected with the Coronavirus that killed him. Reporters without Borders called to conduct an independent international investigation to determine the responsibility of the Egyptian prison administration for the death of Munir, as he was infected with Coronavirus in his prison.

The Middle East official of the organization, Sabrina Benoy, warned of the “tragic” fate of the other journalists detained in Egyptian prisons. Earlier estimates by Reporters without Borders indicate that there are 30 arrested journalists in Egypt, where Egypt is ranked in 166th at the World Press Freedom Index for 2020, out of 180 countries in the world.