Many of the Egyptians detained by Libyan authorities are to be released, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. Libya's envoy in Cairo had said on Friday that 46 of 70 detained Egyptians in Libya are to be deported due to lack of required papers. However, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement released on Saturday said that after mediation efforts by the Egyptian authorities, Libya has released 21 and agreed to release an additional 36, allowing them time to complete required documents. Egyptian state news agency MENA had said the 70 Egyptians were detained in the Ain Zara, Salahaldin, and Souk Al-Gomaa areas of Libya's capital, Tripoli and transferred to a "crime prevention centre." Libya is a main destination for Egyptian migrants seeking work opportunities abroad. According to a 2010 report by the International Organisation for Migration, some 1.5 million Egyptians had been working in Libya at the time. The number of Egyptian expats in the country, however, fell sharply following the NATO-backed Libyan uprising in 2011/12, which saw the ouster and death of long-time Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Last month, seven Egyptian Coptic Christians were found shot dead on a beach outside of Benghazi after they were abducted from their apartments the previous day. In January, Libyan militants took seven Egyptian diplomats hostage in Tripoli in response to the arrest of a Libyan militia figure by Egyptian authorities. The diplomatic staff was released several days later. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/96753.aspx
