June 1st, 2012
In a final verdict hearing in a Cairo court on Saturday, the ex-dictator as well as former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli were sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing of around 900 protesters during the country’s popular uprising.
Mubarak also faced separate charges of corruption along with his sons Alaa and Gamal. But the charges were dropped.
The court also dropped charges against six other security officials, who were brought to trial for the killing of protesters.
The verdict sparked fierce clashes between families of the victims and security officials inside the court. Angry spectators called the court illegitimate and demanded that Mubarak be executed.
The ex-ruler was then transferred to the Cairo prison after the hearing session as angry demonstrators staged protests against the court’s decision in the capital and the main cities of Alexandria and Suez.
Also prior to the trial, anti and pro-Mubarak protesters held rallies outside the court building in the capital.
The former Western-backed dictator stood trial for charges of complicity in the death of some 900 protesters during the popular revolution last year that ended his three-decade rule.
The court’s decision comes as Egyptians are set to elect between Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi and former Prime Minister of the Mubarak regime Ahmed Shafiq on June 16 and 17.
