Egypt announced late on November 24 the release of 30 political activists from jail, the latest in a series of mass releases from detention amid intensifying international scrutiny over the country's human rights record.
Since 2013, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's government has cracked down on dissidents and critics, jailing thousands, virtually banning protests, and monitoring social media.
It is estimated that there are about 60,000 political prisoners incarcerated in Egyptian prisons.
The issue came to focus during Egypt's hosting of the two-week world climate summit in early November, when a political prisoner went on a hunger strike. As concerns for his fate mounted, his strike ended. He remains in prison.
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