Donald Trump’s “great friend” locks up more dissidents in Egypt

THE fall of Khaled Ali has been as swift as it has been absurd. Last year Mr Ali filed a lawsuit against the Egyptian government over its plan to return two islands to Saudi Arabia. The deal, which many Egyptians saw as a shameful swap of land for cash, sparked rare protests against Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s president. So when the country’s highest court blocked the transfer in January, Mr Ali and his supporters whooped it up outside the courthouse.

On May 23rd the state accused Mr Ali of making an indecent hand gesture during that celebration and, five months after the fact, arrested him. He is one of dozens of opposition figures detained in the past two months on similarly risible charges. The government has also blocked websites, raided homes and hobbled NGOs. Even before all this, Mr Sisi’s repression was unprecedented. But with little protest from America or Europe, and with an election coming next year, the president...