Follow us on
Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak sentenced to life in prison
A judge sentenced Mubarak to life in prison after convicting him of involvement in the murder of protesters during the uprising that ousted him last year
It was the first time a deposed Arab leader had faced an ordinary court in person since a wave of uprisings shook the Arab world last year, sweeping away four entrenched rulers. (AFP/Getty Images)
The ruling came at a politically fraught time for Egypt, two weeks before a run-off in its first free presidential election that will pit the Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned under Mubarak, against the deposed autocrat’s last prime minister.(AFP/Getty Images)
Mubarak, propped up on a hospital stretcher and wearing dark sunglasses, heard the verdict with a stony expression. He had been wheeled into the cage used in Egyptian courtrooms, while the other defendants stood. (AFP/Getty Images)
Demonstrators outside the court, many of whom had been demanding the death penalty for Mubarak, greeted the verdict with fireworks and cries of “Allahu akbar (God is great)”.(AFP/Getty Images)
Soha Saeed, the wife of one of about 850 people killed in the street revolt that toppled Mubarak on Feb. 11, 2011, shouted: “I’m so happy. I’m so happy.”(AFP/Getty Images)
Some people inside the court who had wanted a death sentence scuffled with guards, decrying the Mubarak-era judiciary. “The people want the judiciary cleansed!” they chanted.(AFP/Getty Images)
One man held up a sign calling for Mubarak to be executed, others chanted for a death sentence. (AFP/Getty Images)
Judge Ahmed Refaat opened the proceedings by calling the start of Mubarak’s trial on August 3 a “historic day”. He hailed Egyptians for removing the only leader many of them had known.(AFP/Getty Images)
“The people of Egypt woke on Tuesday, January 25, to a new dawn, hoping that they would be able to breathe fresh air … after 30 years of deep, deep, deep darkness,” he told the court.(AFP/Getty Images)
