Egyptian Court Is Said to Order That Mubarak Be Released By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, ALAN COWELL and ROD NORDLAND Published: August 19, 2013 251 Comments FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ SAVE E-MAIL SHARE PRINT SINGLE PAGE REPRINTS CAIRO — A court in Egypt has ordered that former President Hosni Mubarak, who has been detained on a variety of charges since his ouster in 2011, should be set free, according to state media and security officials on Monday, but it remained possible that the authorities would find a way to keep him in detention and his release did not appear imminent. Enlarge This Image Reuters Hosni Mubarak faces allegations of corruption and a retrial on charges of complicity in the murder of protesters. Multimedia Photographs Scenes of Renewed Clashes in Egypt MULTIMEDIA FEATURE: Timeline of Turmoil in Egypt After Mubarak and Morsi Related Islamists Killed While in Custody, Egypt Confirms (August 19, 2013) The Lede: Islamists Blamed for Uptick in Sinai Violence After Morsi’s Ouster (July 17, 2013) Egypt Lashes Out at Foreign News Media’s Coverage (August 19, 2013) Leaving Military Aid Intact, U.S. Takes Steps to Halt Economic Help to Egypt (August 19, 2013) Israel Escalating Efforts to Shape Allies’ Strategy (August 19, 2013) Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts. Post a Comment » Read All Comments (251) » Egyptian state media reported that Mr. Mubarak would remain in custody for another two weeks under a previous judicial order before the authorities make a decision on his release. The outcome of their deliberations is likely to be read as a pivotal test of the new government installed by General Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi and its desire to replicate or repudiate Mr. Mubarak’s rule. The development threatened to inject a volatile new element into the standoff between the country’s military and the Islamist supporters of the deposed President Mohamed Morsi, as Egypt entered the sixth day of a state of emergency following a bloody crackdown by the military in which hundreds of people have been killed. It was unclear how Egyptians — particularly those who have welcomed the military action against Mr. Morsi — would respond to the release of a despised autocrat whose downfall united Mr. Mubarak’s secular and Islamist foes. News of the legal maneuvers came at a time of sustained bloodletting. Just in the past 24 hours, the Egyptian government has acknowledged that its security forces had killed 36 Islamists in its custody, while suspected militants were reported on Monday to have killed at least 24 police officers and wounded 3 others in an attack on their minibuses in the restive northern Sinai region. Mr. Mubarak, 85, faces an array of legal challenges including allegations of corruption and a retrial on charges of complicity in the murder of protesters whose revolt forced his ouster in February, 2011. On Monday, Mr. Mubarak’s lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, said a court had ordered his release and he might be freed this week. But there was no official confirmation from the military-backed interim government that Mr. Mubarak would be set free. News reports said that the ambush on Monday morning had occurred in a village near the border town of Rafah. It was the latest in a series of attacks in Sinai since the military forced Mr. Morsi from office on July 3. The attackers were initially depicted as Islamist militants firing rocket-propelled grenades at the police minibuses. But there was some confusion, with later reports quoting officials who put the death toll at 25. Officials were also quoted as saying that the officers had been forced from their minibuses, told to lie on the ground and then shot to death. There was no immediate official confirmation of the events. The Sinai Peninsula borders the Gaza Strip and Israel, which is planning to intensify a diplomatic campaign urging Europe and the United States to support the military-backed government in Egypt despite its deadly crackdown on Islamist protesters, according to a senior Israeli official involved in the effort. Israeli ambassadors in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and other capitals planned to advance the argument that the military was the only hope to prevent further chaos in Cairo. On another diplomatic front, ambassadors from the 28-member European Union planned to meet on Monday to review the bloc’s relationship with Egypt, confronting a similar question of whether stability and security outweigh considerations relating to human rights and democracy. In a radio interview on Monday, William Hague, the British foreign secretary, said he did not accept that outsiders were powerless to influence events. “But we have to do our best to promote democratic institutions, to promote political dialogue and to keep faith with the majority of Egyptians who just want a free and stable and prosperous country,” he told the BBC.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 01:01:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015