Former Egyptian president cleared of involvement in death of protesters during 2011 uprising that ended his reign

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Egypt’s top appeals court has found Hosni Mubarak innocent of involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his 30-year rule, marking the final ruling in a landmark case.

Mubarak was the first of the leaders toppled in a wave of Arab uprisings to face trial. In scenes that captivated Egyptians, he appeared in a courtroom cage on charges ranging from corruption to complicity in the murder of protesters.

The case has traced the trajectory of Egypt’s Arab spring, with Mubarak originally sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for conspiring to murder 239 demonstrators during the 18-day revolt – an uprising that sowed chaos and created a security vacuum but also inspired hope for an era of democracy and social justice.

But an appeals court ordered a retrial that culminated in 2014 in the case against the former president and his senior officials being dropped. An appeal by the public prosecution led to Thursday’s final retrial by the court of cassation.

The 88-year-old ailing former leader resides in a Cairo military hospital, where he served a three-year sentence for a separate corruption case. The military overthrew Mubarak’s successor, the Islamist Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.

After a hearing that took most of the day, Judge Ahmed Abdel Qawi announced to cheers of approval from the Mubarak supporters who filled the courtroom: “The court has found the defendant innocent.”

The court also rejected demands by lawyers of the victims to reopen civil suits. That left no remaining option for appeal or retrial, according to a judicial source.

The families of those killed, who had attended the trial early on, were not present on Thursday. Their lawyers condemned the verdict as politically motivated.

“This ruling is not fair and not just. The judiciary is politicised,” said Osman al-Hefnway, a lawyer for the families.

Mubarak’s supporters cheered “long live justice” as the verdict was read out and unfurled posters of the former leader.</s>Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was acquitted Thursday by the Court of Cassation, Egypt's highest criminal court, on charges that he killed hundreds of protesters in 2011, according to state-run news agency Al-Ahram.</s>Former president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak, whose 30 years in power were brought to an end by mass uprisings in 2011, has been acquitted by the country's top appeal court and found not guilty of killing protesters.

The judgment, which followed a day-long hearing, could see the former ruler walk free, Reuters reported. "The court has found the defendant innocent," presiding Judge Ahmed Abdel Qawi was quoted as saying.

The appeals court simultaneously rejected calls by lawyers of the victims of the government crackdown to reopen civil suits. As such there is no remaining opportunity for a retrial or appeal.

Mubarak was swept from power by two weeks of popular protest across Egypt's major cities as revolution erupted across the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 during what came to be known as the Arab Spring.

Hundreds of protesters were killed in clashes between Egypt's security forces and thousands wounded before Mubarak stepped down and an interim military council was put in place to rule the country.

Mubarak initially stood trial in 2011 on charges of murdering protesters. Found guilty in June 2012, he was sentenced to life in prison but amid Egypt's shifting political landscape was later cleared of the charges in November 2014.

In the aftermath of Egypt's 2011 revolution the country has lurched from one crisis to another, decimating the country's economy. A coup in June 2013 reinstated military rule under current president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, after a short-lived experiment with democracy led to the election of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Morsi.</s>Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was acquitted Thursday by the Court of Cassation, Egypt’s highest criminal court, on charges that he killed hundreds of protesters in 2011, according to state-run news agency Al-Ahram.

Mubarak, 88, served as president for three decades.

Developing story – more to come</s>A top Egyptian appeals court on Wednesday acquitted former President Hosni Mubarak on charges of killing protesters during the country’s 2011 uprising. The ruling ends six years of a legal battle over the former ruler’s involvement in the deaths of Arab Spring protesters, a popular uprising that ultimately led to his ouster from government.

Some 900 protesters were killed in Egypt during the revolution, though Mubarak was only implicated in the deaths of 239 in the court case. He was originally sentenced to life in prison in 2012, but an appeals court ordered a retrial. In 2014, he was cleared of all charges, before a final appeal that led to Wednesday’s ruling.

“This ruling is not fair and not just. The judiciary is politicized,” Osman al-Hefnawy, a lawyer for the families of the killed protesters said, according to Reuters.

Mubaraks’ clearance in 2014 sparked public outrage and mass protests. But, outside of defense lawyers, Wednesday’s ruling has so far been met with deafening silence.

“Egyptians have gotten used to this,” said Michele Dunne, Middle East expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “They’ve become used to seeing more and more of the Mubarak-era officials acquitted or have their cases dropped,” she told Foreign Policy.

Not that Egypt’s political climate allows for public protests these days. A military coup in 2013 toppled the Islamist government first elected after Mubarak’s ouster. Since then, the new government under former General Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has violently clamped down on political freedom and dissent. On Monday, Egypt expelled one of the country’s last remaining outspoken opposition politicians from parliament, further undermining the country’s crippled opposition.

El-Sissi’s government likely won’t see a newly-acquitted Mubarak as a threat to power. The former president, who ruled Egypt for 30 years, is now 88 years old and in poor health.

Behind the scenes, there’s potentially a quiet power struggle simmering between the ruling military el-Sissi represents and Mubarak’s sons, who have close ties to the country’s business elites. Dunne said it’s still unclear whether Mubarak’s acquittal will pave the way for any political future for his sons, but it’s not out of the question.

But the acquittal Wednesday showcased how far the country has drifted from the ideals that animated the early days of the Arab Spring, particularly for the young people who led the revolt against Mubarak.

“It’s just one more sign that the changes that they pushed for and thought they had won in 2011 are completely gone,” Dunne said.</s>Egypt's top appeals court has issued a final ruling that acquits former president Hosni Mubarak on charges of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his nearly three-decade reign.

The ruling by the Court of Cassation upheld a previous verdict reached in 2014.

Sitting in a wheelchair as the judge read out the charges against him, Mr Mubarak responded: "It did not happen."

Mr Mubarak, his interior minister and six aides were sentenced to life in prison in 2012, but another court overturned the verdict two years later, citing technical flaws in the prosecution.

Thursday's session, held at the Police Academy in a Cairo suburb, was to review the public prosecutor's request for an appeal.</s>Egypt’s top appeals court has acquitted former President Hosni Mubarak of conspiring in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising.

Mr Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in 2012, but the case was retried twice.

Thursday’s Court of Cassation ruling is final, which could mean the ailing 88 year old is freed from detention.

He has been confined to a military hospital despite having completed a three-year sentence for embezzlement.

A judge decreed in May 2015 that Mr Mubarak could be released from detention.

However, the government of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was reportedly reluctant to free him because of the public backlash that might accompany such a move.

Mr Sisi served as Mr Mubarak’s military intelligence chief and led the military’s overthrow of his democratically elected successor, Mohammed Morsi, in 2013.

In all, more than 800 people are believed to have been killed as security forces sought to stop protests in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and other cities around Egypt during the 18-day uprising that forced Mr Mubarak to resign after 30 years in power.

He denied ordering the killing of protesters and insisted that history would judge him as a patriot who served his country selflessly.

Mr Mubarak’s first retrial was ordered in 2013. A judge dropped the charge altogether the following year, but the Court of Cassation ordered a second retrial.

Former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and four of his aides were also acquitted of the same charge on Thursday.

The Court of Cassation also rejected demands by lawyers of the protesters’ families to pursue civil suits against Mr Mubarak. BBC News</s>Six years after the uprising that ended his rule, former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak. has been acquitted of involvement in the killings of hundreds of protesters in 2011.

According to Al-jazeera, The Court of Cassation’s final ruling on Thursday could see the ailing 88-year-old walk free.

He has been tried mainly for two things: his role in the killing protesters in the 18 days of the January 25 revolution and also for corruption.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 but an appeals court ordered a retrial, which dismissed the charges two years later.

He arrived the court on Thursday on a stretcher.

He has been confined to a military hospital, despite having completed a three-year sentence for embezzlement.

A judge decreed in May 2015 that Mr. Mubarak should be released from detention.

However, the government of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was reportedly reluctant to free him because of the public backlash that might accompany such a move.

Mr. al-Sisi served as Mr. Mubarak’s military intelligence chief and led the military’s overthrow of his democratically elected successor, Mohammed Morsi, in 2013.

In all, nearly 900 people are believed to have been killed as security forces sought to stop protests in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and other cities around Egypt during the 18-day uprising that forced Mr. Mubarak to resign after 30 years in power.

He denied ordering the killing of the protesters and insisted that history would judge him as a patriot who served his country selflessly.

Mr. Mubarak’s first retrial was ordered in 2013. A judge dropped the charge altogether the following year, but the Court of Cassation ordered a second retrial.

Mr. Mubarak’s former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, and four of his aides were also acquitted of the same charge on Thursday.

Most of the charges brought against Mr. Mubarak’s government’s members have been dismissed while the country still recovers from the aftermath of the uprising.

He remained defiant throughout his trial.</s>Six years after the uprising that ended his rule, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been acquitted over his alleged involvement in the killings of hundreds of protesters in 2011.

The Court of Cassation’s final ruling on Thursday could see Mubarak walk free. After an all-day hearing, Judge Ahmed Abdel Qawi announced: “The court has found the defendant innocent.”

The Cairo-based court rejected demands by lawyers of the victims to reopen civil suits, leaving no remaining option for appeal or retrial.

Mubarak was accused of inciting the deaths of nearly 900 protesters in an 18-day uprising that ended when he stepped down on February 11, 2011.

He had been sentenced to life in 2012 but an appeals court ordered a retrial, which dismissed the charges two years later.

Mubarak, 88, has spent most of his time in a military hospital since his arrest in 2011.

He arrived to court on Thursday on a stretcher.

In January 2016, the appeals court had upheld a three-year prison sentence for Mubarak and his two sons on corruption charges.

But the sentence took into account time served. Both his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were freed.

Most of the charges brought against Mubarak’s government members have been dismissed while the country still recovers from the aftermath of the uprising.

Mubarak’s successor, democratically elected Mohamed Morsi, served for only a year before the military ousted and detained him in 2013, launching a deadly crackdown on his supporters.

Morsi and hundreds of his supporters have been sentenced in mass trials, although many of them are appealing the verdicts.

A former air force chief and vice president, Mubarak became president after fighters who had infiltrated the army shot dead president Anwar Sadat during a military parade in 1981, also wounding Mubarak.

He remained defiant throughout his trial.

“I did nothing wrong at all,” he told a private broadcaster after receiving the life sentence in 2012. “When I heard the first verdict I laughed. I said: ‘Ha!’.”

Apparently referring to economic growth, he said: “The last 10 years showed more results than the 20 years before, including telephones and so on, and then they turned against us.”</s>Cairo: Egypt's top appeals court has issued a final ruling that acquits former President Hosni Mubarak on charges of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his nearly three-decade reign.

The ruling by the Court of Cassation on Thursday upheld a previous verdict reached in 2014. Sitting in a wheelchair in the defendant's cage as the judge read out the charges against him, Mubarak responded "It did not happen."

Mubarak, his interior minister and six aides were sentenced to life in prison in 2012, but another court overturned the verdict two years later, citing technical flaws in the prosecution.

Thursday's session, held at the Police Academy in a Cairo suburb, was to review the public prosecutor's request for an appeal.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has returned to a Cairo courtroom for a retrial on charges of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his nearly three-decade reign.

Mubarak, his interior minister and six aides were sentenced to life in prison in 2012, but another court overturned the verdict two years later, citing technical flaws in the prosecution.

The 88-year-old ailing former leader resides in a Cairo military hospital, where he served a three-year sentence in a separate corruption case. No cameras were allowed inside Thursday's hearing.

Hundreds of protesters were killed in clashes with police and Mubarak supporters during the 18-day uprising, part of the Arab Spring protests that swept the region. The military overthrew Mubarak's freely elected successor, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, in 2013.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is acquitted of involvement in the deaths of hundreds of anti-government protesters during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.