Convicted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is fading in and out of conciousness inside a Cairo prison hospital, fighting for his health only eight days after being sentenced to a life term for his involvement in the death of protestors shortly before his regime was toppled. 

Former first lady Suzanne Mubarak and two daughters-in-law were allowed to see Mubarak in Torah prison on Sunday in order to squash widesread rumors he had died. The former president is suffering from an irregular heartbeat and requires assistance in breathing. He is reported to be living off of liquids and yogurt, an official told the Associated Press.

Suzanne Mubarak has previously lashed out at prison officials for not tranferring her husband back to a military prison where he was held before his conviction. Although she was allowed to see her husband on Sunday, she was denied access to Mubarak on Saturday.

"You will be responsble for his death," Suzanne Mubarak told prison wardens.

According to the Telegraph:

Mubarak's two sons Alaa and Gamal are also being held. They were acquitted on June 2 of corruption charges, but still face separate charges of insider trading.
On Saturday, Egypt's state run news agency MENA quoted officials as saying that Mubarak is at risk of stroke, quoting a medical team's report.
Other media reports said that his lawyer Farid al-Deeb informed him that he will soon be transferred back to a military facility in the Cairo suburb of Maadi.

But as Egypt's election for a democratically-elected president continues, candidate Ahmed Shafik is facing harsh criticism as Mubarak's last prime minister.

From the Chicago Tribune:

The Brotherhood has sought to portray Shafik as a throwback to the era of Mubarak, a man Shafik has described as a role model and who he served as a minister for about a decade before being appointed premier in the last days of his rule.

Days before Mubarak was driven out in February 2011, camels and horses charged demonstrators in Cairo in images that were seen round the world and which activists regarded as a last-ditch attempt to crush the protests.

The Brotherhood said Shafik was "one of the symbols" of Mubarak's disbanded National Democratic Party, which is accused of ordering the charge. "He did not take any measures to prevent them or stop them" from charging, the statement said.

Watch reports of the former dictator's health:

Shafiq has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of attacking his campaign headquarters in a raid last month. The opposition party has dimissed the accusations as Shafiq's "huge lies."

The runoff election between Shafiq and the Muslim Brotherhood is scheduled for June 16 and 17, according to the New York Times.

Follow Neontommy's coverage of the Egyptian revolution.

 

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