Egypt court orders release of ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak
Iran Press TV
Wed Aug 21, 2013 12:50PM GMT
A court in Egypt has ordered the release of the former dictator, Hosni Mubarak, amid simmering tensions in the North African country.
It was not clear if Mubarak would be released immediately. However, his lawyer, Farid al-Dib, said the former longtime ruler could be freed on Thursday.
“The court decided to release him. Maybe tomorrow,” al-Dib said on Wednesday.
On the same day, Judge Ahmed el-Bahrawi, the prosecutor overseeing the corruption case against Mubarak, said, “The decision to release Mubarak issued today ... is final and the prosecution cannot appeal against it.”
Earlier in the day, the court convened at the Cairo prison where Mubarak is being held, to review a petition from his lawyer demanding the former leader be freed.
Mubarak is also facing a retrial for complicity in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 revolution that toppled him.
The former longtime ruler was sentenced to life in prison in June 2012, but an appeals court later overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial.
The Wednesday’s move is expected to further complicate the country’s political turmoil which led to the deaths of hundreds of Egyptians.
Tension has intensified in Egypt since July 3, when army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, removed former president Mohamed Morsi, from office, suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament.
Since then, thousands of people have taken to the streets across the North African country to demand Morsi’s reinstatement.
MAM/SS
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
