Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, has been hospitalised at the Red Sea port of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he has been staying since he was ousted from power by a popular uprising on February 11.Mubarak was taken to hospital on Tuesday after suffering a "heart crisis" when he was being questioned during an investigation, state television reported.
It did not give further details about the 82-year-old's health or about the investigation.
"He has been under house arrest in Sharm el-Sheikh ever since he was ousted from power. We are still not sure of what condition he is in, but the former president has been complaining that he's been unwell for some time now," reported Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Cairo.
Egyptian security officials told the Associated Press news agency that Mubarak arrived under heavy police protection at the hospital, which was being picketed by pro-democracy activists.
Mubarak has kept a low profile since he stepped down from the presidency, but released an audio message earlier this week saying that he would cooperate fully with the prosecutor-general's investigations into allegations of corruption committed by his himself and family members.
Mubarak had been expected to be questioned by investigators for the first time on Tuesday in connection with corruption allegations and violence against protesters during the uprising.
The public prosecutor issued the summons on Sunday.
Mubarak's sons Alaa and Gamal have also been summoned for questioning.
"He was supposed to travel to Cairo to be questioned about his wealth, about his assets, by the prosecutor-general here, but he said that he was unable to travel. Now whether or not its a coincidence that he falls ill just days after the prosecutor-general decided to summon him as well as his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, for questioning about their wealth and their assets ... in fact, at this hour, ministry of justice officials are questioning his sons," Khodr reported.
"Now this has been a demand of the pro-democracy protesters here in Egypt for the prosecution of the president, as well as high-ranking members of the former regime, in order to hold them accountable for what they believe was the amassing of billions of dollars of wealth."
Activists sceptical
Mubarak also has a history of illnesses, and while in power would routinely travel to Germany for check-ups. The former president had suffered from a number of health problems and had undergone gallbladder surgery in the days leading up to the end of his rule.
"Definitely this news will not be welcomed by pro-democracy protesters, this is what many of them actually feared, that the president will not be tried, will not be held accountable for his actions over recent decades. And definitely, a lot of them will be sceptical - they will wonder whether or not he is really sick," Khodr said.
She said that many pro-democracy activists were "ridiculing" Mubarak's hospitalisation, and were of the opinion that the timing of his admission to hospital was not coincidental.
"I feel that I'm watching a ridiculous soap opera that has been dragging on now, and directed by the miltiary junta, for more than two months," Hossam el-Hamalawry, an Egyptian pro-democracy activist, told Al Jazeera.
"I think the demands of the revolutionaries and the millions of Egyptians who took to the streets since the start of the uprising has been to put Hosni Mubarak on trial. Not just for financial corruption ... but for the murder of protesters and for treason," he said.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
1 comment:
Mubharaks arrest is very unfortunate he is very old now he is in his last days so he should be free. His arrest is very bad past is past let him live his life happily.
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