Egypt court acquits Hosni Mubarak, his commanders of murder charge

Cairo, Nov 29: Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was on Saturday acquitted by a court which found him not guilty in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 revolution that toppled his nearly three decades-long rule, overturning an earlier ruling.

Judge Mahmud Kamel al-Rashidi also acquitted Mubarak of corruption charges for exporting gas to Israel. The court ruled that Mubarak's seven former security commanders, including his former interior minister Habib al-Adly, were "innocent" in the killing of anti-government protesters during the 2011 revolution.

The 86-year-old, dressed in his trademark shades and wearing the blue clothes of a convict, was wheeled into the caged dock on an upright stretcher. His two sons were also acquitted from all corruption charges. Mubarak and his co-defendants were found guilty in June 2012 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The initial verdict was appealed successfully and a retrial began in April 2013. He is serving a separate three-year prison term for embezzlement of public funds.

IANS