Egypt is seeking the release of a number of its citizens detained in Saudi Arabia, as part of a royal amnesty decree for the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
Saudi prisons currently host more than 600 Egyptians.
"We are seeking to include female detainees in the royal decree," the Egyptian consular officer in Saudi Arabia, Hossam Essa, told MENA on Sunday. But he failed to give the number of female detainees being held.
The list of those to be granted amnesty is being prepared in coordination with Saudi authorities, Essa said.
He added that Saudi officials are giving encouraging signs that they will respond to the Egyptian efforts.
Nearly 1.5 million Egyptians work in Saudi Arabia, forming the largest Arab expatriate community in the Gulf kingdom.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
