Politics
Egypt: Former President Hosni Mubarak released from jail – placed under house arrest
Egyptian media relegated news of his transfer to small items on their front pages or news bulletins, with little discussion of the symbolism of the moment.
After the bloodshed of the last week, most Egyptians have appeared eager to get back to normal life as quickly as possible.
As pro-Mursi protests have dwindled in size, traffic has returned to the streets, at least in the hours before a night-time curfew begins.
The symbolism of Mubarak’s release has not been lost entirely, with some Egyptians on social media networks struck by how their country has returned to a time when Mubarak was free and the Muslim Brotherhood in jail.
Both Mubarak and several arrested Brotherhood leaders including supreme guide Mohamed Badie are scheduled to appear before courts on Sunday. And one of the charges Mubarak faces, complicity in the deaths of some of the 850 people who died during the uprising against him, is similar to that faced by Brotherhood leaders including Mursi and Badie.
They both face allegations of inciting the deaths of protesters in relation to deadly protests that took place during Mursi’s time in office.
Mubarak and Mursi are in quite different situations, however, noted Egyptian analyst Hisham Kassem.
Mubarak “committed numerous crimes against the country, but managed to hide the evidence, particularly as all the state’s institutions were working for him at the time he was overthrown.”
