- Title: EGYPT: Divided Egypt prepares to release Hosni Mubarak from jail
- Date: 22nd August 2013
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (AUGUST 22, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF TORA PRISON IN CAIRO WHERE DEPOSED PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK IS HELD AND IS EXPECTED TO LEAVE PRISON VARIOUS OF ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS OUTSIDE THE PRISON VARIOUS OF MAIN GATE OF THE PRISON POLICEMAN CHECKING CAR
- Embargoed: 6th September 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt
- City:
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA5UT4MNBEG9F52Y5II0OO25S14
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak could leave prison on Thursday (August 22) after a court ruling that further divided a country in turmoil since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi seven weeks ago.
Convening at the Cairo jail where Mubarak is held, the court ordered the release of the military man who ruled Egypt for 30 years with an iron fist until he was overthrown during the uprisings that swept the Arab world in early 2011.
The prime minister's office said he would then be placed under house arrest, which could be an attempt to placate the many who will object to the release of the man they held mass protests to eject in 2011.
Citing a security source, the state news agency said Mubarak would "likely" be transported to one of the state's vital installations or one of two military hospitals where he will be guarded under heavy security.
Mubarak, 85, was sentenced to life in prison last year for failing to prevent the killing of demonstrators. But a court accepted his appeal earlier this year and ordered a retrial.
The ailing former air force pilot probably has no political future, but the court ruling made some Egyptians uncomfortable.
Political upheaval triggered by the army overthrow of Mursi has kept many Egyptians anxious for months.
The military announced a road map designed to bring democracy back to Egypt. But that has not created a sense of stability in the Arab world's biggest nation.
At least 900 people, including 100 soldiers and police, have been killed in a crackdown on Mursi supporters in the past week, making it the country's bloodiest internal episode in decades.
The clampdown, which has included the arrests of top leaders of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, appears to have weakened the Arab world's oldest and arguably most influential Islamist group. It has been struggling to get people onto the streets to protest what it calls a military coup since security crushed pro-Mursi protest camps in Cairo.
Brotherhood supporters called on Egyptians to hold "Friday of Martyrs" marches against the military takeover.
A grouping calling itself The National Coalition to Support Legitimacy, which has been demanding Mursi's reinstatement, said in a statement, "We will remain steadfast on the road to defeating the military coup."
Mubarak's release from jail would reinforce the Brotherhood's view that the armed forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is trying to rehabilitate the old government. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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