Egypt's opposition steps up demands for release of prisoners ahead of national dialogue
With Egypt's proposed national dialogue set to open in the coming days, opposition figures are stepping up demands for the release of political detainees.
![Egypt's members of parliament attend a session in Cairo on April 16, 2019.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2022-07/GettyImages-1137527139.jpeg?h=3386f146&itok=urssFBxX)
The long-awaited national political dialogue between the government and Egypt's political forces is set for early July — a little over two months after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for a comprehensive societal dialogue to discuss "the priorities for national action."
In statements made during an Iftar banquet in late April that was attended by a number of opposition figures, Sisi also stressed that the dialogue must include all political parties "without discrimination."