Yesterday, US President Biden and Egyptian President al-Sisi met in Jeddah for a rather rare meeting. The Biden administration is one of al-Sisi's most prominent critics of human rights abuses and repression of freedom of expression.
Hours after the conference, al-Sisi ordered the release of a number of prominent detainees and it is difficult not to indicate a connection to a meeting with Biden.
Among the released is the former editor-in-chief of the Al-Ahram newspaper, 'Abd al-Nasser Salameh, who was arrested for criticizing al-Sisi's treatment of the Renaissance dam crisis in Ethiopia. He was arrested about a year ago after using a Facebook post he called on the Egyptian president to resign.
Another released Amro Imam is part of a team of human rights activists in Egypt, and in recent years has been involved in publishing all possible information regarding political detainees in Egyptian prisons.
In Egyptian prisons there are thousands of detainees on political grounds, without trial.