Egypt unexpectedly frees political prisoner
Ayman Nour's release may be a gesture of goodwill to the Obama administration. His imprisonment had strained relations between Cairo and Washington.
Reporting from Cairo -- An Egyptian political dissident whose imprisonment had strained relations between Cairo and Washington for more than three years was unexpectedly freed today in an apparent goodwill gesture toward the new Obama administration.
Ayman Nour, who ran against President Hosni Mubarak in 2005 and was later jailed on widely criticized forgery charges, was driven home from Cairo's Tora Prison. The Egyptian prosecutor's office said Nour, who has heart and eye ailments, was released for medical reasons. Nour's five-year sentence was due to end in 2010. Nour's case came to symbolize the relentless campaign by Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party to silence political opponents, despite outcries from international human rights groups. Former President Bush and members of his administration had repeatedly urged the Egyptian government to release Nour and to stop intimidation and harassment that have marred the country's national and local elections.
"Why they did this is unknown," Nour told the Associated Press after his release. "I am coming out with an open heart and am ready to work and nothing has changed. A lot of things have been put on hold over the past years."
Nour's release comes amid talk that U.S. secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is likely to visit Egypt for a donor's conference on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Nour had reached out to Obama during the U.S. presidential campaign. In August, he wrote Obama from prison, asking that Washington push for a Middle East that "embodies the dreams of Arab reformers for democracy and change."
Egypt receives nearly $2 billion annually in U.S. military and economic aid.