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Late last week, Egyptian-American aid worker Aya Hijazi was released from the Egyptian jail where she had been imprisoned for three years due to charges of child abuse connected to her charity for street children. Human rights advocates have long said the charges were false and have pushed for her release. Hijazi was acquitted last week and flew home to the United States, where she met with President Donald Trump.

"We are very happy to have Aya back home and it's a great honor to have her in the Oval Office with her brother," the president said in a short statement while seated next to Hijazi.

The Trump Administration claimed victory for her release, which was reportedly discussed when the president met earlier this month with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The Obama Administration had been unsuccessful in negotiating for her release.  

Does this signal of a change in the ties between the U.S. and Egypt? What does it mean for Egyptians, who are under a state of emergency that expands the government's ability to monitor, imprison, and quickly try suspects in emergency courts with no appeal process? For answers, we turn to Michael Wahid Hanna, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation.