Hosni Mubarak became president in 1981 after Anwar Sadat’s assassination.
He had been at Maadi Military Hospital since 2013, when he was transferred there on bail from Torah prison.
Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in 2012 of complicity in the killing of protesters who died at the hands of security forces in February, 2011.
However, the government of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was reportedly reluctant to free Hosni Mubarak because of the public backlash that might accompany such a move.
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi served as Hosni Mubarak’s military intelligence chief and led the military’s overthrow of his democratically elected successor, Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.
In all, more than 800 people are believed to have been killed as security forces clashed with protesters in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and other cities around Egypt during the 18-day uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak to resign.
The death sentences against Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi and five other Muslim Brotherhood leaders have been overturned by the country’s highest court of appeal.
Egypt’s Court of Cassation ordered that the six men face a retrial in connection with a mass prison break during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.
Twenty-one life sentences for other Brotherhood members were overturned.
Mohamed Morsi was elected president in 2012 but was removed by the military in 2013 after protests against his rule.
Although the former president is no longer at risk of execution, he is serving three lengthy prison sentences relating to other convictions.
Mohamed Morsi and more than 100 other people were sentenced to death in May 2015 after being convicted of colluding with foreign militants – from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Lebanon’s Shia Islamist Hezbollah movement – to organize a mass prison break.
He was being held at Wadi Natroun prison in January 2011 when armed men overcame the guards, freeing thousands of inmates.
Mohamed Morsi and his co-defendants, including the Brotherhood’s general guide Mohammed Badie, were also found guilty of the murder and kidnapping of guards, damaging and setting fire to prison buildings and looting the prison’s weapons depot.
In June 2015, a court upheld the death sentence against Mohamed Morsi and 98 others after consulting Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Shawi Allam.
It was not immediately clear why the Court of Cassation overturned the sentences on November 15, but Brotherhood lawyer Abdel Moneim said it had applied the law correctly.
Mohamed Morsi has also been sentenced to life in prison for allegedly conspiring to commit terrorist acts with foreign organizations and to another 40 years for allegedly leaking state secrets and sensitive documents to Qatar.
The former president was sentenced to 20 years after being convicted of ordering the unlawful detention and torture of opposition protesters during clashes with Brotherhood supporters outside a presidential palace in Cairo in December 2012.
Mohamed Morsi’s prosecution has taken place amid a wider crackdown on the Brotherhood, which President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has outlawed and vowed to wipe out. Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands of people imprisoned in the past three years.
His supporters have said the trials are politically motivated and attempts to give legal cover to a coup. They claim they are based on unreliable witnesses and scant evidence.
Also on November 15, the Court of Cassation approved the decision to release Hosni Mubarak’s two sons from prison, the state-owned Mena news agency reported.
In October 2015, a lower court ruled that the time Alaa and Gamal Mubarak had spent in temporary detention exceeded the legal limit.
Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, who were arrested soon after the 2011 uprising, were sentenced along with their father to three years in prison for embezzlement in May 2015.
Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced to 3 years in prison on corruption charges after a retrial in Egypt’s capital, Cairo.
The former Egyptian president’s sons, Alaa and Gamal, were given 4 years each in the same case which centers on the embezzlement of $14 million earmarked for renovation of presidential palaces.
The original conviction was overturned on January 13 over legal procedures.
This was the last court case hanging over Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled in the 2011 uprising.
Hosni Mubarak and his sons were also fined for the amount embezzled and used to renovate their private residences in Cairo and on the Red Sea coast, as well as a family farm.
The 87-year-old former leader and his sons were present in the courtroom at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo.
Some of his supporters wore T-shirts with Hosni Mubarak’s face and waved and blew kisses as he entered, the Associated Press news agency says.
They shouted in anger as the judge issued the ruling – which can be appealed against.
It is not clear whether the time Hosni Mubarak has already served will count – or whether he will be sent to jail again.
Egypt’s highest court is also due to decide on June 4 whether to allow an appeal against a lower court’s ruling that dropped murder charges against Hosni Mubarak.
Hosni Mubarak remains at Maadi Military Hospital in Cairo.
Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced to three years in prison after a Cairo court found him guilty of embezzling public funds.
Hosni Mubarak’s two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were also convicted and given four-year terms.
The three were also fined $3 million and ordered to repay the $17.6 million they were accused of stealing.
Hosni Mubarak, 86, is also on trial for abuse of power and conspiring in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that forced him to resign.
Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling public funds
He was found guilty of the charge relating to the protesters in 2012 along with former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and sentenced to life in prison.
In January 2013 the Court of Cassation upheld an appeal by the two men against their convictions on technical grounds and ordered a retrial.
In August, a court ordered Hosni Mubarak’s release from prison and transfer to a military hospital in Cairo, where he is being held under house arrest.
Public attention in Egypt has largely shifted away from the case since the military overthrew his democratically-elected successor, Mohamed Morsi, in July.
Mohamed Morsi was in turn put on trial on a variety of charges, including incitement to murder, espionage and fraud.
Despite the subsequent return to power of many of their associates, the Mubaraks were charged with embezzlement in February.
They were accused of diverting $17.6 million meant for maintenance of presidential palaces to renovate their own private residences.
They denied the charge and asserted at the trial that the prosecution’s case was “completely unsubstantiated because it never happened”.
For the verdict on Tuesday, Hosni Mubarak sat in the caged dock in a wheelchair, wearing a grey suit. His sons stood beside him in white prison clothing.
It was not clear if the three years Hosni Mubarak and his sons have spent in custody would count towards their sentences, and also if the former president would return to the military hospital or be sent to Torah prison.
Mohamed Morsi’s trial over his escape from prison in 2011 has begun in Cairo, state media say.
The Egypt’s ousted Islamist president was taken to the court in Cairo by helicopter from a prison in Alexandria, Mena news agency reports.
Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely-elected president, was deposed by the military in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule.
He is now facing four separate criminal trials on various charges.
Also on Tuesday, the interior ministry said that a ministry official, named in local media as General Mohammed Saeed, was shot dead on his way to work.
The killing comes amid a string of militant attacks on security services in recent days, and hours after Egypt’s top military body gave its backing for army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run for president.
Mohamed Morsi’s trial over his escape from prison in 2011 has begun in Cairo
Supporters of Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have gathered outside the building, but no pro-Morsi supporters have appeared.
Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization and authorities have punished any public showing of support for it.
Another 130 people are also facing charges in the prison break trial, but many of the defendants are currently on the run.
Mohamed Morsi stands accused of organizing a mass breakout from the Wadi al-Natrun prison during the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, as well as the murder of prison officers.
He is appearing in a sound-proofed glass box during the trial and will only be permitted to speak after raising his hand.
State television reported that the defendants were shouting inside the glass box and were making the four-finger “Rabaa” protest sign, but could not be heard.
When he first appeared in court in November in a separate trial, Mohamed Morsi chanted slogans against the current government and the court. He also refused to recognize the court’s legitimacy or put on the required prison uniform.
Egypt’s army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been given approval by the country’s top military body to run for the presidency, state media report.
Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, in July.
He is expected to accept the nomination from the Supreme Council for Armed Forces (SCAF) and resign from his military position within days.
Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected leader
Earlier, the interim president promoted him from general to field marshal.
Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is popular with much of the Egyptian public and analysts say he would be expected to win the presidential election, to be held by late April.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people joined a rally in Cairo to mark the anniversary of the 2011 uprising against President Hosni Mubarak by calling on Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to stand.
Former Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi might not appear in court in Cairo because bad weather has prevented his departure from prison, officials say.
Other defendants have arrived at the police compound by helicopter but Mohamed Morsi is still in Alexandria.
Mohamed Morsi and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures are accused of inciting the killing of protesters outside a presidential palace in 2012.
He was removed by the army last July after demonstrations against his rule.
Mohamed Morsi’s supporters have since held regular protests calling for his reinstatement.
Last Friday at least 11 people died in clashes between police and pro-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators across Egypt.
A helicopter carrying some of the defendants arrived at the National Police Academy complex in Cairo for the hearing early on Wednesday, reporters said.
However state media said Mohamed Morsi’s arrival had been delayed by bad weather. He is being held at the city’s Burj al-Arab prison.
Mohamed Morsi’s supporters have held regular protests calling for his reinstatement
Egyptian media said thousands of police were on alert and TV pictures showed some pro-Morsi protesters being arrested as they waved the four-finger salute adopted by supporters of the ousted president.
Mohamed Morsi is due to be asked to appoint a lawyer, which he refused to do during his initial appearance.
He also faces several other charges ranging from fraud to colluding with foreign militants in a terrorist plot.
Mohamed Morsi faces another court hearing at the end of January, accused with some 130 others of murdering policemen during a mass breakout from a Cairo prison in January 2011 shortly before the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.
Human rights groups have dismissed some of the allegations against him as preposterous.
Egyptian officials insist Mohamed Morsi will be given a fair trial but lawyers trying to defend him say they have been denied access to him.
He first appeared in court in early November amid chaotic scenes.
Speaking from behind bars, he insisted he was still the president and was being held against his will.
Mohamed Morsi refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the court and would not wear a prison uniform.
Egypt’s leading activists Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel from the 2011 uprising that led to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak have been sentenced to three years in jail.
They were found guilty of organizing a recent unauthorized protest.
Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel were arrested after protesting in November over a new controversial law that restricts demonstrations.
The three well-known activists have long called for greater democracy in Egypt.
Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Adel were founding members of the April 6th Youth Movement, which led protests to remove long-time President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
The three were among a group of demonstrators outside the upper house of parliament in late November protesting over the new law, which states that public gatherings of more than 10 people must be authorized.
Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel were found guilty of organizing an unauthorized protest
The military-installed government has defended the law, saying it is not intended to limit the right to demonstrate but rather to “protect the rights of protesters”.
But its opponents say the law has in effect replaced a recently expired state of emergency, and is stricter than the measures in place during the rule of Hosni Mubarak.
The men are the first to be jailed under the new law. The court in Cairo found them guilty of holding a demonstration without authorization and attacking police officers.
State-run television said the men had been sentenced to three years’ hard labor. They have also been ordered to pay a $7,000 fine each.
As the verdict was read out, the courtroom erupted with chants of “Down, down with military rule! We are in a state, not in a military camp”, Reuters news agency reports.
Until recently, the main targets for arrests by the authorities had been Islamists, many of whom continue to protest over the ousting by the military of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed government of Mohamed Morsi in the summer after weeks of mass protests.
Hosni Mubarak’s sons, Gamal and Alaa, and his last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, have been acquitted of charges of embezzlement by an Egyptian court.
Ahmed Shafiq, who has been living in the United Arab Emirates since losing the presidential election to Mohamed Morsi in 2012, was tried in absentia.
Gamal and Alaa Mubarak have been involved in a series of trials since their father’s fall from power.
All three men are still facing other corruption charges.
Hosni Mubarak’s sons, Gamal and Alaa, have been acquitted of charges of embezzlement
Ten other defendants were also cleared in Thursday’s verdicts in Cairo.
The case examined whether Ahmed Shafiq had enabled the Mubarak sons – both of whom were prominent businessmen – to buy land belonging to the Egyptian pilots’ association at a cheaper price than the market rate.
Egypt’s Al Ahram reports that the verdict in the second corruption case against Ahmed Shafiq will be announced later on Thursday.
Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak is being held under house arrest following his release from detention in August.
His retrial on charges of complicity in the killing of demonstrators in 2011 is under way, after his conviction in June 2012 was overturned on appeal in January 2013.
Hosni Mubarak is also charged in a further three corruption cases.
Judge Mahmoud el-Rachidi has ordered a media blackout during the next phase of the retrial of Egypt’s former leader Hosni Mubarak.
Judge Mahmoud el-Rachidi said the sessions, to be held on October 19-21, would involve national security issues.
Hosni Mubarak, 85, appeared in court on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising.
Defense lawyers are seeking to blame Islamists from the Muslim Brotherhood and foreign forces for the deaths of about 850 people killed in the unrest.
Hosni Mubarak was jailed for life in June last year for contributing to the killings.
Hosni Mubarak appeared in court on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising
But he appealed against his sentence and a retrial was ordered.
Hosni Mubarak is on trial along with his two sons, the former interior minister, and six security chiefs.
Certain parts of his original trial were also held behind closed doors.
Judge Mahmoud el-Rachidi had promised more transparency with the retrial.
However, the judge said on Saturday that all journalists would be barred from the next hearings and forbidden from quoting lawyers.
“This decision does not go against my previous promise to the media, because I had announced from the start that the people will know about everything, except for proceedings of hearings, in order for us to allow the witness to testify,” he said.
The interior minister’s lawyer said the people called to testify had information on who killed the protesters, and “which foreign factions joined forces with the Muslim Brotherhood in the events of the 28 January [2011] to cause chaos and the killing of protesters”.
Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohamed Morsi won Egypt’s first free election last year, but was eventually overthrown by the military after widespread protests.
Hosni Mubarak was freed from custody shortly after the overthrow, and placed under house arrest.
During Hosni Mubarak’s 29-year rule the Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed.
Hosni Mubarak has appeared in court, three days after being released from prison and placed under house arrest.
The former Egyptian president is facing a retrial on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising.
Hosni Mubarak sat in the defendants’ cage along with his two sons, former interior minister, and six security chiefs.
Earlier, the separate trial of the Muslim Brotherhood’s general guide and his two deputies was adjourned.
The court convened briefly and made its decision because Mohammed Badie, Khairat al-Shater and Rashad Bayoumi were absent for security reasons.
Their presence was requested for the trial’s resumption on October 29.
The Brotherhood leaders face charges of inciting the murder of protesters who stormed the Islamist movement’s headquarters in Cairo on 30 June as millions took to the streets demanding the resignation of Hosni Mubarak’s democratically elected successor, Mohamed Morsi.
Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the military three days later.
Hosni Mubarak has appeared in court, three days after being released from prison and placed under house arrest
He is being detained while prosecutors investigate allegations related to his escape from prison during the uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak from power, including that he conspired with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
On Sunday, Hosni Mubarak, 85, appeared in the dock inside the high-security courtroom at the police academy on the eastern outskirts of Cairo sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a white tracksuit and dark sunglasses.
He was reportedly flown by helicopter to the court from a military hospital where he has been held under house arrest since his release from prison on Thursday. The hearing has been adjourned until September 14.
Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison in June 2012 after being found guilty of complicity in the killing of hundreds of protesters. His former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, also received a life sentence, but the security chiefs were acquitted.
The former president and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were cleared of separate charges of corruption relating to a gas export deal at the same trial because of the statute of limitations.
In January 2013, the Court of Cassation accepted appeals against their convictions by Hosni Mubarak and Habib al-Adly and ordered a retrial of all the defendants. Their supporters had noted that the original trial judge had said there was no evidence linking Hosni Mubarak to the shooting of protesters.
Their retrial began in May but it has been repeatedly adjourned for various reasons, prompting claims from pro-democracy activists and representatives of the victims that the judges and defense team were dragging out proceedings to avoid a verdict.
On Thursday, Hosni Mubarak was moved from a prison cell to house arrest at the hospital in Maadi, ending more than two years of incarceration.
It came a day after a court ruled that he could no longer be detained in relation to a separate corruption case that alleges he accepted gifts from the state-run publisher, al-Ahram. He has already served the maximum time allowed in custody in connection to the complicity case.
Under President Mohamed Morsi, state prosecutors brought new charges when courts ordered Hosni Mubarak’s release to ensure he was kept in detention. Alaa and Gamal Mubarak are being held on multiple corruption charges.
Hosni Mubarak has been released from Cairo prison after appealing against his detention.
The former Egyptian president was flown out of Tora prison by helicopter to a hospital, but is now expected to be put under house arrest.
Hosni Mubarak, 85, still faces charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of demonstrators during the protests that toppled him in 2011.
His release is seen by many as a sign that the military is rolling back the changes that flowed from the uprising.
Egypt is currently under a state of emergency amid the bloodshed which has accompanied the army-backed interim government’s crackdown on Islamists opposed to the army’s ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July.
Hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood – the movement from which Mohamed Morsi comes – have been detained, including its most senior leader Mohammed Badie, who was wanted over alleged incitement to violence and murder.
On Thursday, the medical helicopter arrived at Tora, as dozens of Hosni Mubarak supporters – some waving flags – gathered outside the prison.
Hosni Mubarak has been released from Cairo prison after appealing against his detention
Egypt’s TV channel then showed the helicopter transferring Hosni Mubarak to a military hospital in the capital. The ex-leader was seen being transferred from the aircraft into an ambulance outside the hospital, amid heavy security.
This comes after a court ruled on Wednesday that the former leader must be released in a corruption case.
The ruling came during the hearing on charges that the former president had accepted gifts from state-run publisher al-Ahram. The value of the gifts has since been repaid.
The court said its decision was final and no appeal would be allowed.
Prosecutors have previously brought new charges when courts have ordered Hosni Mubarak’s release – a move intended to keep the ailing ex-leader in detention.
But shortly after the court ruling, the office of PM Hazem el-Beblawi said Hosni Mubarak would be placed under house arrest after his release.
“In the context of the emergency law, the deputy military commander issued an order that Hosni Mubarak should be put under house arrest,” the office said in a statement.
Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in jail last year for complicity in the killing of demonstrators, but a retrial was later ordered after his appeal was upheld.
That retrial opened in May but Hosni Mubarak has now served the maximum amount of pre-trial detention permitted in the case.
European Union foreign ministers on Wednesday agreed to stop export licenses on military equipment to Egypt and to reassess security co-operation in response to the clampdown.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be freed after a Cairo court ruled his release on bail in a corruption case.
Reports from Cairo suggest Hosni Mubarak may be freed from prison on Thursday, but the prosecution may still appeal.
Hosni Mubarak, 85, still faces charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the uprising that forced him from power in 2011.
The former leader was sentenced to life in jail last year, but a retrial was later ordered after his appeal was upheld.
That retrial opened in May but Hosni Mubarak has now served the maximum amount of pre-trial detention permitted in the case.
On Wednesday, the court in the capital ordered the release of Hosni Mubarak, said his lawyer and judicial sources.
Asked when Hosni Mubarak could actually leave the prison, his defense lawyer Fareed El-Deeb told Reuters: “Maybe tomorrow.”
The ruling came during a hearing on charges that the former president had accepted gifts from state-run publisher al-Ahram.
Judge Ahmed el-Bahrawi said, who is overseeing the case, was quoted by Reuters as saying that the ruling “is final and the prosecution cannot appeal against it”.
Hosni Mubarak may be freed from prison on Thursday, but the prosecution may still appeal
Prosecutors have previously brought new charges when courts have ordered Hosni Mubarak’s release – a move intended to keep the ailing ex-leader in detention.
Analysts say Hosni Mubarak’s release – if it happens – would be seen by many as a sign the military is rolling back the changes that flowed from the 2011 uprising.
Egypt is under a state of emergency amid the bloodshed which has accompanied the interim government’s crackdown on Islamists opposed to the army’s ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on July 3.
European Union foreign ministers are currently meeting to determine a response to the clampdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some EU leaders have called for the 28-member bloc’s 5 billion-euro ($6.7 billion) aid package to Egypt to be cut after more than 900 people were killed in clashes last week.
The violence erupted as security forces cleared two sit-ins in Cairo by people demanding the reinstatement of Mohamed Morsi.
However, sources say the EU ministers are likely to consider the military and security support provided by several European nations, and whether there might be a formal suspension of this across the bloc.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine Ashton, has offered to mediate a political solution to the crisis and is working on “confidence building measures” between the interim government and Brotherhood.
In Washington, senior officials discussed on Tuesday whether to reduce the $1.3 billion in military aid that the US gives Egypt every year. The meeting reportedly produced no imminent changes to US policy.
A Cairo appeals court has ordered former Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak back to prison from military hospital.
Hosni Mubarak’s retrial will open on May, the court ruled.
The former leader is charged alongside his former interior minister and six former security chiefs with complicity in the murder and attempted murder of hundreds of protesters in January 2011.
Former Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has been ordered back to prison from military hospital
The retrial was meant to begin on April 13 but collapsed when the presiding judge withdrew from the case.
AFP news agency quotes judicial sources as saying that Judge Mahmud al-Rashidi will preside over the case at the North Cairo Criminal Court.
Hosni Mubarak will also face corruption charges, along with his sons, Alaa and Gamal, and businessman Hussein Salem.
Judge Mustafa Hassan Abdullah presiding over the retrial of ousted Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has withdrawn himself from the case as the trial opened in Cairo.
There were chaotic scenes as the judge said he was referring the trial to another court.
Hosni Mubarak was convicted in June 2012 of conspiring to kill protesters during the 2011 revolt that ended his rule.
The former president was sentenced to life but a retrial was ordered in January after he appealed against the sentence.
About 850 people were killed in the 2011 crackdown.
Judge Mustafa Hassan Abdullah announced his decision at the start of the retrial at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo.
Amid shouting in the courtroom – delaying the start of proceedings – the judge said he was referring the case to the Cairo appeals court as he felt “unease” in reviewing the case, Reuters news agency reported.
That court is then expected to appoint a new panel to hear the retrial.
Hosni Mubarak, 84, is in poor health and currently being held in a military hospital in Cairo.
Judge Mustafa Hassan Abdullah presiding over the retrial of ousted Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has withdrawn himself from the case as the trial opened in Cairo.
On Saturday, he was flown by helicopter to the courthouse at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo.
State TV showed Hosni Mubarak being wheeled into the building on a stretcher, wearing a white outfit. Wearing dark glasses and with an intravenous cannula on his hand, he later waved to the courtroom from inside a cage.
His first trial, at which he also appeared on a stretcher, lasted 10 months.
Two sons of the former leader, former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six aides will also be re-tried, facing the same charges as before.
Habib al-Adly was sentenced to life last year for contributing to the killing of protesters, and for five and 12 years for corruption charges.
Hosni Mubarak’s sons, Gamal and Alaa, will be retried on corruption charges for which they were acquitted in June, because of the expiry of a statute of limitations.
The former leader was also found not guilty of corruption.
Businessman Hussein Salem, a close associated of Hosni Mubarak, is being retried in his absence – he went to Spain after being cleared of fraud in his first trial.
The 18-day uprising in 2011 ended Hosni Mubarak’s 29-year rule of Egypt.
Families of protesters who died in the crackdown were disappointed that the former leader was not convicted of ordering the killings.
There was also been anger among some that he has not faced trial for abuses allegedly committed earlier in his rule.
News of the retrial has been overshadowed by the political instability and insecurity which followed the revolution.
Deaths during the uprising were largely blamed on the police at the time, but last week a report was leaked which implicated the army in serious human rights abuses at the time, including the killing and torture of protesters.
The leaked chapter, reportedly presented to President Mohamed Morsi late last year, contains testimony relating to civilians detained at military checkpoints who were never seen again and reports that the army delivered unidentified bodies to coroners.
Egypt’s Defence Minister Abdel Fatah al-Sissi denied the accusations, calling them a betrayal.
An Egyptian administrative court has suspended general elections that were scheduled to begin in April.
The court said the electoral law needed to be reviewed by the Supreme Constitutional Court to determine whether it conformed to the constitution.
President Mohamed Morsi had said the polls would begin on April 22, taking place in four stages over two months.
The elections have been boycotted by the main opposition, amid continuing street protests.
The National Salvation Front (NSF) has said the electoral law favors Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist allies – a claim denied by the president.
The NSF has also expressed concerns that the election will not be free and fair.
Egypt remains sharply divided between Islamists and their liberal and secular opponents.
An Egyptian administrative court has suspended general elections that were scheduled to begin in April
More than 70 people have been killed in violence between security forces and protesters since February, following the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
On Wednesday, the security head in the city of Port Said was dismissed following renewed clashes between demonstrators and police.
The coastal city has seen sporadic violence since January, when death sentences were handed down to 39 people imprisoned over football violence last year which left more than 70 people dead.
The administrative court said it had acted because the Shura Council – the upper house of parliament – had not returned the amended electoral law to the Supreme Court for final review.
Instead, the court said, the Shura Council had sent the law to President Mohamed Morsi for ratification.
Mohamed Morsi’s office has so far made no public comment on the court’s decision. The president can appeal against the ruling.
Egyptian courts have made a number of decisions that have gone against the president and his Muslim Brotherhood movement, further complicating the country’s political crisis.
In June, the lower house was dissolved after the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that one of the laws under which the elections were fought was not legitimate.
In the last elections, in January 2012, Islamist parties won an overwhelming majority, with the Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood movement taking the biggest share.
Egyptian police have clashed with protesters gathering in Tahrir Square in capital Cairo ahead of the second anniversary of the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power.
President Mohamed Morsi’s opponents plan a rally, accusing the Islamist leader of betraying the revolution.
Mohamed Morsi denies the claim, and has called for “peaceful” celebrations.
An appeals court recently overturned Hosni Mubarak’s life sentence over the deaths of protesters and ordered a retrial.
The 84-year-old former leader remains in detention at a military hospital.
On Thursday evening, police clashed with protesters who tried to remove barriers blocking a road to Tahrir Square.
The clashes continued overnight, as police fired tear gas at demonstrators camping on the square. At least eight people were wounded, officials said.
Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood party has not officially called for its own street rallies. It plans to mark the revolution by launching charitable and social initiatives.
Protesters began converging on Tahrir Square on Friday morning.
One of them, Hanna Abu el-Ghar, said: “We are protesting against the fact that after two years of the revolution, where we asked for bread, freedom and social justice, none of our dreams have come true.”
Egyptian police have clashed with protesters gathering in Tahrir Square in capital Cairo ahead of the second anniversary of the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power
The liberal opposition accuses Mohamed Morsi of being autocratic and driving through a new constitution that favors Islamists and does not sufficiently protect the rights of women or Christians.
Ahead of the planned rally Mohamed El Baradei, a leading opposition figure and former head of the UN atomic agency, said is a statement: “I call on everyone to take part and go out to every place in Egypt to show that the revolution must be completed.”
The government is also being blamed for a deepening economic crisis.
The president has dismissed the opposition’s claims as unfair, instead calling for a national dialogue.
Mohamed Morsi and his supporters accuse their opponents of undermining democracy by failing to respect the Islamists’ victory in elections a year ago.
In a speech on Thursday marking the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, President Mohamed Morsi called on Egyptians to celebrate the anniversary “in a civilized, peaceful way that safeguards our nation, our institutions, our lives”.
Last month, Mohamed Morsi described the new constitution as “historic” and also said that boosting Egypt’s economy was his priority.
The president also admitted that mistakes had been made but insisted he would never make a decision except in the interests of the country.
Egypt’s revolution:
January 25, 2011: Campaign of mass protests against Hosni Mubarak launched
February 11, 2011: Hosni Mubarak steps down as president, handing over to the military
November 2011-January 2012: Parliamentary elections held; Islamists emerge as winners
June 2, 2012: Hosni Mubarak convicted over killing of protesters and given life sentence
June 17, 2012: Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi narrowly wins presidential election
December 15, 2012: Constitution drafted by Islamist-led body approved in referendum
January 13, 2013: Appeals court orders Hosni Mubarak retrial
A court in Egypt has ordered a retrial for ex-President Hosni Mubarak after accepting an appeal against his life sentence over the deaths of protesters.
Hosni Mubarak, 84, was overthrown last year after mass street protests in the capital Cairo and other cities, and jailed in June.
Since he was jailed, there have been frequent reports about his ill-health.
Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt for almost 30 years, surviving at least six assassination attempts, before last year’s revolt.
Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood was elected president in June.
A court in Egypt has ordered a retrial for ex-President Hosni Mubarak after accepting an appeal against his life sentence over the deaths of protesters
According to unofficial and preliminary results, Egyptians appear to have approved the controversial new constitution in a referendum.
Results reported by Egyptian state media suggest that some 63% backed the charter over two rounds of voting.
Critics say the document, which has triggered mass protests, betrays the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
President Mohamed Morsi’s mainly Islamist supporters say it will secure democracy and encourage stability.
Official results are not expected until Monday, after appeals are heard. If the constitution passes, parliamentary elections must take place within three months.
Turnout was put at about 30%. The opposition said voting in both rounds of voting had been marred by abuses.
Violations in the second round on Saturday ranged from polling stations opening late to Islamists seeking to influence voters, the opposition said.
On Saturday, ballots were being cast in the 17 provinces that did not vote in the first round on December 15. Some 25 million people were eligible to vote.
The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement said early on Sunday that, with most votes counted, more than 70% were in favor.
The opposition National Salvation Front also said the “yes” vote appeared to have won.
In the first round, on December 15, turnout was reported to be just above 30% with unofficial counts suggesting some 56% of those who cast ballots voted in favor of the draft.
Opponents have said the draft constitution fails to protect the freedoms and human rights that they sought in the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s rule last year.
They accuse the president of pushing through a text that favors Islamists and does not sufficiently protect the rights of women or Christians, who make up about 10% of the population.
Egypt’s official state news agency Mena said that at least two judges had been removed for encouraging voters to cast “yes” ballots.
According to unofficial and preliminary results, Egyptians appear to have approved the controversial new constitution in a referendum
One Egyptian, 19-year-old law student Ahmed Mohammed, said he voted “yes” because Egypt “needs a constitution to be stable”.
But at the same polling station in Giza, south-west of the capital, 50-year-old housewife, Zarifa Abdul Aziz, said: “I will vote <<no>> a thousand times. I am not comfortable with the Brotherhood and all that it is doing.”
As voting took place on Saturday, the country’s Vice-President Mahmoud Mekki announced his resignation.
Mahmoud Mekki, a former judge who was appointed vice-president in August, said the “nature of politics” did not suit his professional background.
Over the past month, seven of President Mohamed Morsi’s 17 top advisers have resigned.
Mahmoud Mekki said he had tried to resign on November 7, but his decision had been delayed by the Israeli conflict in Gaza and President Mohamed Morsi’s controversial decree on November 22 granting himself sweeping new powers.
His resignation statement indicated he had no prior knowledge of the decree, which stripped the judiciary of powers to question the president’s decisions.
After an outcry, the president revoked much of the November 22 decree, but he refused to back down on the draft constitution.
The text was rushed through by a constituent assembly dominated by Islamists and boycotted by liberal and left-wing members, and facing a threat of dissolution by the country’s top court.
Egypt has seen large demonstrations by both sides, which have occasionally turned violent, ever since.
President Mohamed Morsi has annulled a decree he issued last month that hugely expanded his powers and sparked angry protests in Egypt, officials say.
However, a news conference in Cairo was told that a controversial referendum on a draft constitution would still go ahead as planned on December 15th.
Mohamed Morsi’s critics have accused him of acting like a dictator, but he says he is safeguarding the revolution.
He said the extra powers were needed to force through reforms.
Mohamed Morsi’s decree of November 22nd stripped the judiciary of any right to challenge his decisions and triggered violent protests on the streets of Cairo.
“The constitutional decree is annulled from this moment,” said Selim al-Awa, an Islamist politician acting as a spokesman for a meeting Mohamed Morsi held with political and public figures on Saturday.
But he said the referendum on a new constitution would go ahead because it was not legally possible for the president to postpone it.
The meeting had been boycotted by the main opposition leaders who had earlier called for their supporters to step up their protests. They want both the decree and the referendum cancelled.
President Mohamed Morsi has made a major compromise but it is yet to be seen if it will defuse tension on the streets.
President Mohamed Morsi has annulled a decree he issued last month that hugely expanded his powers and sparked angry protests in Egypt
Although the decree has been annulled, some decisions taken under it still stand.
The general prosecutor, who was dismissed, will not be reinstated, and the retrial of the former regime officials will go ahead.
But President Mohamed Morsi’s sweeping powers have gone.
Earlier, Egypt’s powerful military warned it would not allow Egypt to spiral out of control and called for talks to resolve the conflict.
“Anything other than that [dialogue] will force us into a dark tunnel with disastrous consequences; something that we won’t allow,” it said.
The president’s supporters say the judiciary is made up of reactionary figures from the old regime of strongman Hosni Mubarak.
But his opponents have mounted almost continuous protests since the decree was passed.
They are also furious over the drafting of the new constitution because they see the process as being dominated by Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist allies.
An umbrella opposition group, the National Salvation Group, has demanded Mohamed Morsi rescind his decree and postpone a referendum on the new constitution.
Several people have been killed in the recent spate of anti-government protests, and the presidential palace has come under attack.
The Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement to which Mohamed Morsi belongs, were set on fire.
Egypt’s stock market sees a plunge in its shares of almost 10% on Sunday, days after President Mohammed Mursi granted himself sweeping new powers.
Protests against Mohammed Mursi’s decision have continued in Cairo, while the Muslim Brotherhood is planning rallies backing him later.
Trading was suspended for 30 minutes as shares slumped in the first session since the president’s announcement.
But the slide continued as soon as share dealing resumed.
Renewed clashes broke out in Cairo on Sunday morning between protesters and security forces in a street leading to Tahrir Square. Trails of tear gas could be seen in the square itself.
Stones were thrown close to the US embassy, but because concrete blocks had been erected in the area the situation was less tense than before, Mena news agency reported.
The barriers had been put up to secure key Egyptian government and parliamentary buildings, Mena added.
According to President Mohammed Mursi’s decree, announced on Thursday, no authority can revoke presidential decisions.
There is also a bar on judges dissolving the assembly which is drawing up a new constitution.
Mohammed Mursi sacked chief prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud, who was first appointed by ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
Maguid Mahmoud’s replacement, Talaat Ibrahim, has been given the job of re-examining all investigations into the deaths of protesters when Hosni Mubarak was in power.
Egypt’s judges denounced the decree on Saturday as an “unprecedented attack” on the judiciary, and the Judges’ Club that represents them called for “the suspension of work in all courts and prosecution administrations”.
Twenty-two rights groups signed an open letter which said the president “has dealt a lethal blow to the Egyptian judiciary” and demanded that the decree should be revoked immediately.
Egypt’s stock market sees a plunge in its shares after President Mohammed Mursi granted himself sweeping new powers
Opposition politician Mohamed ElBaradei had earlier complained that the president had “usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt’s new pharaoh”.
But the president’s measures have also prompted his supporters to come out on to the streets and there were clashes on Saturday as pro-Mursi demonstrators tried to disrupt an emergency Judges Club meeting.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which backs Mohammed Mursi’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) party, has called for further demonstrations in support of the decree after sunset.
The Islamist movement has called for a one-million-man march to be held at Abdin Square on Tuesday.
President Mohammed Mursi’s decree:
All investigations into killing of protesters or use of violence against them to be held again; trials of those accused also to be re-held
All constitutional declarations, laws and decrees made since Mohammed Mursi assumed power cannot be appealed or cancelled
Public prosecutor to be appointed by president for 4-year fixed term and aged at least 40
Constituent assembly’s timeline for drafting new constitution extended by two months
No judicial authority can dissolve constituent assembly or upper house of parliament (Shura Council)
President authorized to take any measures to preserve revolution, national unity or safeguard national security
Egyptian army helicopters have fired missiles on suspected Islamist militants in Sinai peninsula, security officials say.
Twenty people were reported killed in Touma village, while the Sheikh Zuwaid area to the west was also hit.
The strikes came after security checkpoints were allegedly attacked by gunmen in the town of al-Arish, leaving a number of people injured.
On Sunday, militants killed 16 Egyptian border guards in the area.
After that attack – the deadliest and most brazen against Egyptian troops in this border region for decades – Israeli forces said they killed some of the militants who broke through into Israel.
There has been a heavy military build-up around al-Arish, correspondents report, and Egypt’s Rafah border crossing to Gaza has been indefinitely closed as security forces hunt the remaining attackers.
Egypt is also reported to have begun sealing off the illicit smuggling tunnels into Gaza.
This is the first time Egypt has fired missiles in Sinai since the 1973 war with Israel, when it attempted to recapture the Sinai peninsula, security officials told Associated Press.
Egyptian army helicopters have fired missiles on suspected Islamist militants in Sinai peninsula
Egyptian military presence in Sinai is limited and requires Israeli approval under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the nations which returned Sinai to Egyptian control.
Tensions are very high in the area, where Islamic extremists are said to have gained a foothold in recent months, taking advantage of the security vacuum left after former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.
A Sinai army commander told Reuters news agency the army had received information that there were many militants in Touma.
“We have succeeded in entering Touma, killed 20 terrorists and destroyed three armored cars belonging to terrorists. Operations are still ongoing,” he told Reuters. State television also reported the deaths.
The attacks came hours after three security checkpoints were attacked in the main regional town of al-Arish.
Locals said rounds of gunfire could be heard just before midnight and telephone lines and the Internet were cut off.
At least four people – including police officers and a civilian – were wounded in those attacks.
The Egyptian soldiers killed in Sunday’s attack were buried on Tuesday in a funeral marked by angry calls for vengeance.
Some protesters chanted slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, and according to witnesses, tried to assault Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.
Both Israeli and Egyptian officials blamed Sunday’s attack on Islamist militants – though Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the group to which President Mohammed Mursi belongs, accused the Israeli spy agency Mossad of being responsible.
Israel rejected that claim as “nonsense”.
On Tuesday, Israel handed Egypt six “completely charred” bodies it says are some of the militants behind Sunday’s attack on the Egyptian soldiers, a medical official in al-Arish told AFP news agency. The bodies have not yet been identified.
Israel signalled its approval of Egypt’s strikes, with senior defence official Amos Gilad telling Israel Radio on Wednesday that Egypt was determined to “impose order in Sinai because that is their responsibility… If they don’t remove and uproot [the threat], it will continue to strike”.
The rising violence in the area is a test of credibility for the government of President Mohammed Mursi, correspondents say.
Although it is clear that Israel has approved the build-up of troops around al-Arish, Israel has historically been reluctant to see a large increase in Egyptian troops close to its border.
Public prosecutor in Egypt has ordered that former President Hosni Mubarak be returned to prison, saying that his health has improved, state media say.
Hosni Mubarak, 84, was moved from prison to a hospital last month after reports of a deterioration in his health.
He was said at the time to have had a series of strokes and to be on a life support machine. Reports that he was “clinically dead” were later denied.
In June, he was jailed for life for his role in the deaths of protesters.
Hosni Mubarak was moved from prison to a hospital last month after reports of a deterioration in his health
Prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud issued “an order to transfer former President Hosni Mubarak from the Maadi Armed Forces Hospital to Tora prison hospital after an improvement in his health,” his office was quoted as saying.
Abdel Maguid Mahmoud’s deputy, Adel al-Saeed, said that a panel of doctors had earlier established that the former president’s “health is currently stable with medication, and it is considered good for someone of his age,” according to the AFP news agency.
It was not immediately known when Hosni Mubarak would be transferred to prison.
However, any report about Hosni Mubarak’s health has to be treated with a large degree of skepticism.
Whatever the truth of the matter, Egyptians will be fairly certain this is not the last they are going to hear of this ongoing saga.
Hillary Clinton has met the head of Egypt’s top military council, Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi, on the second day of her visit to the country.
The US Secretary of State discussed the transition of power to newly elected President Mohammed Mursi and stressed the need to protect the rights of all Egyptians, US officials said.
Hillary Clinton met Mohammed Mursi on Saturday.
Mohammed Mursi and the military have been in conflict over parliament’s dissolution.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) shut down the chamber, dominated by Mohammed Mursi’s Islamist allies, before he was formally sworn in last month.
Hillary Clinton has met the head of Egypt's top military council, Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi
It also stripped the new president, elected in the country’s first freely contested leadership vote earlier in June, of many of his powers.
Mohammed Mursi, of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, tried to reinstate parliament by decree last weekend. The Supreme Constitutional Court has said the dissolution is final.
As head of the SCAF, Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi became Egypt’s interim ruler after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February last year.
Hillary Clinton held talks for more than an hour on Sunday with Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi.
A senior US state department official said: “They discussed the political transition and the [military council’s] ongoing dialogue with President Mursi.
“The secretary stressed the importance of protecting the rights of all Egyptians, including women and minorities.”
Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi brought up Egypt’s economic needs, while the pair also discussed US aid plans.
After meeting Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi and other army leaders, Hillary Clinton will head to Egypt’s second city, Alexandria, a stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood.
There she will meet leading women, the Coptic Christian community and young entrepreneurs. She is then due to fly on to Israel.
During her meeting with Mohammed Mursi on Saturday, Hillary Clinton said the situation required “compromise and real politics”.
“Democracy is hard,” she said.
She praised Egypt’s military council for its interim leadership, “for representing the Egyptian people in the revolution as compared to what we are seeing in Syria which is the military murdering their own people”.
But she also voiced support for a “full transition to civilian rule”.
The secretary of state also encouraged President Mohammed Mursi to live up to promises to protect the rights of women and minorities, and to preserve the peace treaty with Israel.
The hour-long meeting between President Mohammed Mursi and Hillary Clinton was described by a US official as candid and cordial.
However, on Saturday evening hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Hillary Clinton’s Cairo hotel, chanting anti-Islamist and anti-US slogans in protest at her visit. Some brandished posters depicting the field marshal.
Another protest outside the US embassy was organized by Coptic Christian youth activists, who chanted: “They both can’t be trusted, not the Americans, not the Brotherhood.”
For all the US fears of an Islamist takeover in recent decades, the governments in Washington and Egypt have now realized they need each other.
Mohammed Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood are particularly keen to avoid the sort of international isolation so damaging to other Islamist governments after they have taken office.
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