Dubai: Two expatriates, who have been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia over murder crimes, wer saved from the gallows after an Egyptian raised 37 million Egyptian pounds (7.5 million Saudi riyals), the value of the blood money to be paid to stop his execution, by launching a nation-wide fundraising campaign.
Mahmoud Shakal, founder of the campaign from Minya Governorate, said that he launched the initiative, which is believed to be the largest campaign of its kind in the history of Egypt, and successfully collected 37 million Egyptian pounds in less than 12 days. More than 20,000 people contributed to the campaign.
Shakal said that each of the two Egyptians spent more than 5 years in Saudi prisons, and that he spoke to Saudi officials, and offered to pay blood money to the families of the two victims.
The founder of the initiative added that the last 36 hours of the campaign were the most difficult, and that he and his team contacted philanthropists in Gulf countries who donated a lot of money that led to reach the target in just 12 days.
With these two young men, the total number of people Shakal saved reached 98 Egyptians working abroad, he added.
