Egypt’s jailed former leader Hosni Mubarak could be freed from one prison and confined to another of sorts, as the country’s interim prime minister said Thursday that the deposed leader should be placed on immediate house arrest.
Mr. Mubarak just won a court concession that he be freed from prison, pending his trial on charges he did nothing while his military killed hundreds of anti-government protesters during the Arab Spring. His attorney thinks he’ll go free before the end of the week — but his freedom will be short-lived.
Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi ordered that Mr. Mubarak be sent directly to house arrest, NBC reported. He said the order was only to comply with the country’s ongoing state of emergency declaration. The order also seemed to be a compromise to those who were angered by the court’s decision to let Mr. Mubarak go, Reuters said.
Mr. Mubarak spent two-plus years in prison after being ousted from office in 2011. He ruled Egypt for 30 years, dogged by accusations of corruption.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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