Political prisoners in Egypt live under constant uncertainty about how long they will be detained. So freedom often comes as a big, and welcome, surprise.
Many are held in filthy cells, subjected to routine torture and denied lifesaving medications, according to former inmates, their families and lawyers, and rights groups. Some never leave.
Divas hosted debauched salons on them, and a Nobel laureate wrote a novel on one. “They’re a kind of romantic dream,” one well-known writer said. “They’re so much a part of the heritage of Cairo.”