Trump's 'Favorite Dictator' Already Flirting with Biden!

While the world watched the very close race between the two candidates for US presidency, Egyptian authorities quietly released hundreds of political prisoners, including family members of an Egyptian-American journalist who was in jail several years ago himself. The surprising decision of release triggered many questions on whether this was "a gesture of goodwill" towards the US president-elect, Joe Biden.

On the same day Americans headed to election centers to cast their votes, an Egyptian court ordered the release of 416 political prisoners, most of whom were arrested in September 2019 as thousands of anti-government citizens took to the streets calling on the president Abdelfattah El-Sisi to leave.

The court order that freed hundreds of prisoners was directly linked to the outcome of US elections, which gave the advantage to the democratic nominee Joe Biden, who had already attacked El-Sisi's policies back in July, promising "no more blank checks" to the Egyptian president, who was once referred to by the US President Donald Trump as his "favorite dictator."

Additionally, the Egyptian decision follows a wave of international calls for "an immediate release of political prisoners" during the month of October, including two letters signed by over 220 European lawmakers and more than 50 US legislators, especially after Amnesty International reported mass executions in the span on 10 days last month, in which 49 political prisoners were killed.

Experts have often argued that the aggressive crackdown on dissidents in Egypt has been granted a US green light during the Trump administration, evident in American silence towards human rights violations and mass arrests in the country.

However, the recent switch in Egyptian decisions might suggest an official attempt to guarantee the support of Joe Biden and his administration, particularly as Egypt continues to be one of the world's major receivers of US financial aid.