Mubarak, standing in the same pose as former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, with “Jan. 25” representing the date for a major demonstration against him in 2011 (Creative Commons)

Mubarak, whose three-decade dictatorship was toppled in a revolt which shook the entire region, was sentenced to life in prison last year for failing to prevent the killing of protesters. Earlier this year, however, the court accepted his appeal and ordered a retrial. 

That retrial opened in May but Mubarak has now served the maximum amount of pre-trial detention permitted in the case.

The ruling brings forth the obvious confirmation that the military establishment reigns supreme, and questions whether the gains of the Egyptian revolution are already lost. 

Read more at Reuters. 

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