News Digest

Ex-Egypt President Mubarak to be retried over killing of protesters in 2011

Egypt’s highest appeals court on Thursday ordered the retrial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak on charges that he failed to stop the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his 29-year rule. The ruling set November 5 as the date for the start of the new trial, the verdict of which cannot be appealed. It would be the third time that Mubarak is tried in connection with the killings in 2011. Mubarak (pictured), who is 86 and in failing health, has since his arrest in April 2011 been held in detention in a number of hospitals.

In these difficult circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave the position of the presidency. He has commissioned the armed forces council to direct the issues of the state.

Hosni Mubarak’s resignation statement

The ruling came six months after a criminal court dismissed murder charges against Mubarak in connection with the killing of the protesters, citing the “inadmissibility” of the case due to a technicality. That ruling marked a major setback for the young activists who spearheaded the Arab Spring uprising in January and February 2011, many of whom are now in jail or have withdrawn from politics in the face of an ongoing crackdown by authorities. The killing of nearly 900 protesters during the 18-day uprising remains a contentious issue, with activists and rights groups demanding that police be held accountable. Dozens of policemen charged with killing protesters have been acquitted or received suspended or light sentences.