FORMER EGYPTIAN LEADER MUBARAK DIES AT 91.
Executed many, found guilty of corruption
Hosni Mubarak, the autocratic ruler of Egypt whose nearly 30 years in power came to an abrupt, bloody climax in 2011 after an 18day revolt swept across the Arab world, has died at 91.
Mubarak rose to power in 1981 after the assassination of president Anwar Sadat.
Mubarak declared an emergency law — in place throughout his presidency — that allowed him to keep political opponents in prison without being charged or going to trial. Many of them were tortured and executed.
Under pressure, Mubarak agreed on Feb. 11, 2011, to cede his powers to a military council. He was ordered to stand trial on involvement in the killing of protesters and the embezzlement of millions from state coffers; his two sons, accused of vast corruption, were also tried.
At his 2012 trial, Mubarak was given a life sentence for the deaths of protesters. An appeals court exonerated him. However, he and his sons Alaa and Gamal were found guilty of siphoning state money, imprisoned and ordered to pay US$20 million in reimbursement. He was released at age 88.
Mohammed Hosni Mubarak was born May 4, 1928. He attended the Egyptian military and air force academies. He became commander of the air force in 1972, at 44, and directed an air campaign against Israel in the 1973 Arab-israeli war.
When he was vice-president under Sadat, he largely handled the day-to-day running of the country and often handled regional issues with Egypt’s neighbours.
Mubarak helped negotiate the Camp David Accords in 1978, under which Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize Israel.
Egypt was ostracized by the rest of the Arab world for it. Mubarak was no friend of the Israelis, but maintained a “cold peace” with them and kept Egypt mostly out of war.
He largely co-operated with Israel on its blockade of the Gaza Strip, even while his intelligence service worked closely with Hamas.
Under Mubarak, Egypt achieved greater prosperity than it had ever known.
After 9/11, he became a close ally of the U.S. in combating terrorism, but relations later turned icy over Mubarak’s reported abuses against prisoners and political dissidents.