Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, whose appeal against a life sentence for involvement in the deaths of protesters was accepted Sunday and who now wins a retrial, enjoyed near absolute power for three decades.
The 84-year-old’s spectacular fall from grace in a popular revolt sent shock waves across the Middle East and beyond when he announced his resignation on February 11, 2011 after an 18-day popular revolt.
The spectacle of the man who had dominated Egypt for so long appearing in the dock on a stretcher during his trial gripped the nation.
He was convicted for his role in the deaths of more than 800 protesters during the revolt and could have received the death penalty when the court handed down sentence on June 2, 2012.
In the event, he escaped the gallows and to the fury of many Egyptians, nearly all his lieutenants escaped conviction.
But Mubarak’s two sons Alaa and Gamal — long regarded as his heir-apparent — both remain in custody in the face of multiple corruption cases.
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