Ousted Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak could be freed within days, his lawyer claimed today. The 85-year-old former leader, who lost power in the 2011 revolution when the army abandoned him, is charged with corruption and the bloody crushing of protests. But as the country reels from even worse violence, Mubarak could be a big winner. His lawyer Fareed al-Dib said only a “simple administrative procedure” that “should take no more than 48 hours” stood in the way of his release. Al-Dib added: “He should be freed by the end of the week.” The revelation, which could spark outrage, came as protests continued to shake Egypt following last month’s army ousting of Mubarak’s successor Mohammed Morsi. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood supporters have repeatedly clashed with security forces. Official estimates say more than 830 people, including 70 police and soldiers, have been killed since the army cleared camps set up by Morsi supporters. The Muslim Brotherhood put the toll at 3,000. Yesterday, 25 police officers were shot dead by Islamist militants near the border with Gaza. On the same day, 36 protesters died on their way to prison. Officials said they suffocated after they were tear gassed as they rioted. The Brotherhood said they were deliberately killed. The violence has caused an international outcry. EU foreign ministers are meeting tomorrow to decide whether to cut billions of euros in aid. And British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the crisis was “the most important event so far of the 21st century, even compared to the financial crisis”. But Egypt’s ambassador to Britain Ashraf ElKholy said: “There is no difference with what David Cameron did to deal with the demonstrations here in London. “When the police are lined up with guns pointing at them, the authorities have to defend themselves. That is the difference.” The ambassador defended the army takeover, saying: “Morsi tried to make everything Muslim Brotherhood controlled. “Egyptian culture is a mix of religions and civilisations. The Muslim Brotherhood are like a Nazi group that demand everything changes… to their way.”
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 21:22:04 +0000
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