Zee Media Bureau/Hemant Abhishek
Cairo: Ever since Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down as the President of Egypt following the protests of 2011, the country has yo-yoed between instability and unrest.
In search of political stability the country went through the ‘Second Revolution’, the dissolution of Constitution, the short regime of Mohammed Morsi and is back to civil strife.
In the present scenario, it remains to be seen how the release of the 83-year-old Mubarak affects the violent times that Egypt faces.
Egypt under Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak enjoyed absolute sway over Egypt for over three decades, and his fall was as incredible as his rise.
Mubarak was elevated as the president of Egypt after the assassination of Anwar Sadat by Islamist militants in 1981.
The bullets narrowly missed Mubarak who was seated right next to him during an army parade in Cairo.
A trusted ally of the Western countries, Mubarak almost seemed untouchable as he enjoyed the spoils as the supreme leader of Egypt.
His three-decades-long stint at the helms was punctuated by frequent attempts on his life, all of which he all successfully thwarted.
Most of the ten assassination attempts were by Islamic fundamentalist groups like Al-Jihad, Gamaa Islamiyya and Talaeh al-Fatah. And his biggest ally was the Egyptian Army from whose ranks he grew to attain the status of a modern-day Egyptian Pharaoh.
Mubarak’s government oversaw a developing nation of almost 80 million people whose opposition parties – ranging from the Muslim Brotherhood to secular and liberal dissidents — often accused the West of overlooking human rights abuses and corruption in the country under his regime.
The octogenarian, now 83, faced many health issues like a slipped disc in 2004 and a gall bladder problem in 2010, and apparently allayed rumours of death every time he went in for a medical procedure, emerging healthier and more resolute each time.
It seemed Mubarak’s reign would never end, until the anti-government protests of 2011 at Cairo’s famed Tahrir Square which forced him to step down.
The trial
In May 2011, following the attacks on the protesters, judicial officials announced that Mubarak and his two sons - Alaa and Gamal - would stand trial for their deaths.
In June 2012, Mubarak was found guilty of complicity in the murder of demonstrators, and he and his former Interior Minister, Habib Al-Adly, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
In January 2013, a court allowed an appeal against Mubarak`s and al-Adly`s convictions and ordered a retrial.
The new trial began in May 2013 but was adjourned several times.
Egypt in the meanwhile was burning in political violence following the military`s removal of Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi.
After Mubarak was acquitted of one corruption charge on 19 August, his lawyer argued that there were no legal grounds to detain him any further.
The Egyptian Courts have ordered his release, he however still faces corruption charges in another case and would be kept in house arrest.
Mubarak still has to face charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising.
