Court clears Mubarak on ‘Tahrir crush’
CAIRO - Agence France-Presse
An Egyptian court has ordered the release of former president Hosni Mubarak over the deaths of protesters but he will remain in custody pending investigation into fraud charges, state media reported.The Cairo Court of Appeal ordered Mubarak’s release after the expiry of the maximum temporary detention of two years, the reports said. He had been granted a retrial in the murder case, appealing against a life sentence.
Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades, was ousted in a popular uprising in 2011. He has been under arrest since April 2011 charged with complicity in the murder and attempted murder of hundreds of peaceful protesters on January 25-31, 2011.
He is also facing several charges of corruption.
Defense lawyer Farid al-Dib made the case for his release on the grounds that Mubarak has spent two years in custody.