Egypt's ex-president Mubarak to be released, placed under house arrest

[webfact]

Mubarak to Be Released, Placed Under House Arrest

MOSCOW, August 22 (RIA Novosti) - Egypt’s ex-president Hosni Mubarak, who is to be released from prison within the next 48 hours, will be placed under house arrest, the Ahram Online news website said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi “issued his decision late Wednesday evening while acting in the capacity of deputy military commander under the rules of the currently enforced emergency law,” the website said.

A judge ruled earlier on Wednesday that 85-year-old Mubarak could be released from prison pending further investigation into corruption charges against him. Prosecutors said they would not appeal, and the ex-president’s lawyer said he expected the release to take place on Thursday.

Mubarak, who was overthrown in February 2011 after an 18-day popular uprising, has already spent more than two years in pre-trial detention. In June 2012 he was sentenced to life imprisonment “for failure to stop the killing of protesters by the Egyptian security forces during the revolt,” which left over 800 people dead and 6,000 injured.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20130822/182897172/Mubarak-to-Be-Released-Placed-Under-House-Arrest.html

-- RIA Novosti 2013-08-22

[theblether]

How do you read it? The military doing they're old boss a favour? Or a compassionate move by the courts?.

Egypt could be doing with some compassion just now, it's terrible to see the country burying it's dead in such high numbers.