Mubarak's sons freed from jail
January 26, 2015
Wealthy businessman Alaa Mubarak and the one-time heir apparent in Egypt, Gamal Mubarak, left Torah Prison in southern Cairo shortly after daybreak on Monday, heading for their respective homes in the capital's upscale Heliopolis suburb.
Their release, almost four years after their incarceration, had been expected for several days.
Both still face a retrial on corruption charges, and a separate trail on insider trading charges, but have been acquitted of other past charges.
Hosni Mubarak must also face a corruption retrial, but has been cleared of all other charges himself. The former dictator remains in a military hospital in the south of Cairo, although Reuters reported, citing sources, that he could soon walk free. Mubarak stepped down as president in February 2011 following major public protests against his government.
A little over two years after Mubarak's resignation, his successor Mohammed Morsi was also forced out of office by the military after massive street demos against him.
Critics allege that new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, formerly of the military, is returning Egypt to the kind of authoritarian rule that characterized Mubarak's regime, allegations the government denies.
On Sunday, at events marking the anniversary of the start of the protests that ultimately toppled Mubarak, at least 18 people were killed in unrest across Egypt. There were no immediate reports of fresh unrest following the decision to release Gamal and Alaa Mubarak.
msh/rg (AP, Reuters)