The Egyptian authorities has released two Al Jazeera journalists Bahaa El-din Ibrahim and Rabie Al-Sheikh at dawn on Friday, March 22, after being held for about four years in pre-trial detention.
Taking to Facebook, the head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, Khaled Elbalshy said, “The release of our colleagues Rabie Al-Sheikh and Bahaa El-Din Ibrahim, Al-Jazeera journalists, is an important step. We hope that it will be completed by clearing the way for the rest of the imprisoned journalist colleagues and all those imprisoned for issues of opinion.”
“I contacted with colleague Bahaa El-din Ibrahim after his evacuation, as well as with the family of the colleague Rabie Al-Sheikh, and we hope that our joy will be completed by the exit of the rest of our colleagues.”
He added, “Sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who made an effort in this framework and we hope that efforts to finish this file will continue until it is completely closed.”
It is noteworthy that Rabie was arrested in August 2021 at the Cairo International Airport after returning from Qatar, and was charged with spreading false news in case No. 1365 of 2018 by Supreme State Security.
Bahaa was arrested in February 2020 while travelling from Borg El Arab International Airport to Doha. He was subjected to 75 days of enforced disappearance before appearing before the prosecution.
Both individuals faced legal violations, detention without trial, and inadequate health and hygiene conditions in cells, posing a threat to their safety due to chronic diseases, Al Jazeera reported.
This comes after Egypt released Al Jazeera journalists Hisham Abdelaziz and Ahmed Al Nagdy in May 2023 and September 2022, respectively.
