Egyptian Political Dissident, Imprisoned for Years, Is Suddenly Released

Ayman Nour, an Egyptian political dissident who was imprisoned for challenging the governing parties' monopoly on power, was released from prison on Wednesday. The release was not expected at all; even Mr. Nour himself was not aware of his release.

The Egypt government convicted Mr. Nour in 2005 of misleading people into wrong political viewpoints in order to prevent opposition politics from flourishing. He gave a new faith in people's eyes and forged their signatures in effort to create his own Al Gahd Party that would oppose to the governing parties. His movement was widely accepted with thousands of signatures when he only needed 50.

The sudden release of Mr. Nour is interpreted by many political analysts as a political gesture at times of increasing pressure from the United States and European governments. Although his release was welcomed, it also created resentment and sadness among people who, from this case, realized that Egypt's justice system was ruled by decree, not law.

Alaa Aswani, a social critic of Egyptian society, said, "I am happy he is out, but I am sad that the executive power and the president can interfere directly in judicial outcomes. The president can put someone in jail and can pardon him and then look for a legal pretext. This is the sad part."

Salama Ahmed Salama speculated on Wednesday that Mr. Nour's release was a good-will gesture to the Obama administration. He said, "all the pretexts for his release today are unacceptable, and no one can believe it. It can be seen in the framework of improving relations with the United States."

Opinion: I also find it unreasonable that the president can interfere with judicial process. As we learned in Civics, there are three government branches:Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The government is divided into three different branches in order to balance the authorityso that one branch does not have too much control or influence in government's decisions. However, some governments neglect the importance of the branch system and interfere with one another. This is the case in Egypt as well. The executive government rules the country by decree of the president, not by the established law that is for the common good of its people. The Egyptian president pardoned Mr. Nour to show their good will towards the Obama administration, not because the law rules him innocent.