Opposition leader Ayman Nour is released from prison earlier than scheduled but vows to continue the struggle. Mona El-Nahhas reports on the sudden reprieve After more than three years behind bars, opposition leader Ayman Nour has been released on health grounds. Nour, 44, who suffers from diabetes and heart problems, had previously petitioned for early release for health reasons, but had been repeatedly denied by the courts. "I want to thank God because God inspired someone this morning to release Nour," Gamila Ismail said after she was told of her husband's release. On Wednesday, the prosecutor-general, Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud, ordered Nour be released. The same day Nour was taken by car from his prison cell to his flat in the upscale suburb of Zamalek. "I do not have any explanation for what happened," Nour told reporters who flocked to his residence immediately after the news of his release broke. Wearing a dark suit and an orange tie -- the colour of his Ghad Party -- Nour hugged and kissed family members and friends. Nour denied rumours of a secret deal made between him and the government which might have led to his release. "No deals. No conditions. If there were a deal, I'd have preferred to stay in my prison cell," Nour said defiantly. Nour was due to be released in July when he would have completed nearly three-quarters of his jail term. A few hours after his release, Nour pledged to continue his struggle for reform and change. "I am coming out with an open heart and am ready to cooperate with all political forces in Egypt," Nour said. Nour's family, supporters and party members received the news of his release with unabashed joy. Ismail, who campaigned tirelessly for her husband's release, told reporters she did not know her husband had been set free until their building's parking attendant called her on her cell phone and asked her to return home because Nour did not have the key to the apartment. "I found him praying in front of our doorstep," Ismail said when she returned home. On Thursday, Nour met his supporters who gathered at the downtown headquarters of his liberal Ghad Party starting in the early hours of the morning to celebrate. "This moment marks the rebirth of the Ghad Party," Nour told the gathering. Since 2005, the Ghad has suffered several blows. An-anti Nour splinter group, headed by Moussa Mustafa Moussa, challenged the leadership of the party. In November last year, Moussa and his group attempted to seize the party's headquarters, owned by Nour's wife. Moussa's group was reported to have swept into the party's premises with Molotov cocktails and aerosol cans, setting fire to the headquarters. "Rebuilding the Ghad to become active on the political map will be our priority in the coming stage," Nour said during a press conference held Thursday, stressing that he would complete what he was jailed for. However, Nour said he would not resume his post at the helm of the Ghad but would continue as a member, chairing the party's membership committee. "I am honoured to work under the leadership of the party's current elected chairman Ihab El-Kholi. Asked about resuming his political career -- the law prohibits him from practicing any of his political rights for the next six years -- Nour told the gathering that he had "certain legal cards" which he would use in due time. He refused to elaborate. Nour finished second to President Hosni Mubarak in the 2005 elections, Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential polls, before being jailed on forgery charges he said were politically motivated. He said he had yet to decide whether he will run in the 2011 presidential elections. "It's first and foremost a decision to be made by the Ghad Party," Nour said during Thursday's press conference. On Wednesday, the US said it welcomed the decision to release Nour. "We welcome this move," said State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid, adding that the United States had been calling for Nour's release for some time. Duguid said the US had no prior notification of the decision. "I did not know that we had any advance warning of this. It is welcome nonetheless," he said. According to political analysts, Nour's sudden release may be a gesture meant to improve ties between Cairo and Washington with the new US administration in place. In August, Nour addressed Obama, then a presidential candidate, urging him to help Arab reformers. In an open letter published in a newspaper, Nour said Obama "embodies the dreams of Arab reformers for democracy and change."
