CAIRO, (Reuters) – An Egyptian court accepted an appeal by ousted former president Hosni Mubarak and his former interior minister today, allowing him to be retried over the killings of protesters in the 2011 uprising.
Mubarak and former interior minister Habib al-Adli were sentenced to life in prison in June last year in a court ruling that held them responsible for the deaths of protesters killed by security forces trying to quell the uprising.
“The court has ruled to accept the appeal filed by the defendants … and orders a retrial,” Judge Ahmed Ali Abdel Rahman said.
Crowds of Mubarak supporters attending the trial cheered.
The 84-year-old former leader was moved from prison to a military hospital in late December after breaking ribs in a fall.
“The retrial will be based on the same evidence used in the previous trial. No new evidence will be added to the case,” Mohamed Abdel Razek, one of Mubarak’s lawyers, told Reuters.
He added that the new panel of judges could consider Mubarak’s health when issuing a verdict.
The court has also ordered a retrial of al-Adli’s aides.
