A court in Egypt has dismissed the case against ousted President Hosni Mubarak, accused of conspiring in the killing of over 800 protesters in the 2011 uprising.
His supporters broke into a rapturous applause as the judge in Cairo dropped the case.
However, angry crowds soon began to form in Tahrir Square, with security forces deploying tear gas and water cannon in order to disperse the protesters. One person has been shot dead in the clashes, according to the AFP news agency.
It is estimated that 2,000 people attended the protest in Egypt’s capital, and 29 of the protesters were arrested.
Anti-state slogans frequently used during the uprising were repeated in the demonstration, including: “The people demand the downfall of the regime.”
One of the anti-military protesters said: “There were people who got killed, who is responsible for that if they were all acquitted?”
The ruling followed a retrial, two years after he was sentenced to life in prison over the killings.
The 86-year-old and his sons Alaa and Gamal were also cleared of separate corruption charges.
Nevertheless, Mubarak will not walk free.
He will continue to serve a three-year sentence on another embezzlement charge under house arrest in an army hospital, where he was moved for medical reasons.
Mubarak appeared to wave at cheering supporters as he returned to the hospital and later spoke by phone to an Egyptian private TV station, saying: “I did nothing wrong at all.”
He was on trial over the killings alongside his interior minister Habib el Adly and six top aides, who were cleared of murder charges.
Hundreds of people lost their lives in a brutal security crackdown during the 18-day revolt that ended Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
The former president was convicted in June 2012 of ordering the killings, but was awarded a retrial after the ruling was thrown out on a technicality by a higher court.
Sky News Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros, in Cairo, said the verdict has been met with a muted response from Egyptians, who currently have more pressing concerns in the shape of fuel shortages and regular power cuts.
She said many are predominately upset that Mubarak was cleared of corruption, rather than the murder charges.
“They can just about forgive the idea that he didn’t personally order the killing of protesters in 2011,” she said.
“But they know and have known for years that he was stealing money from the country. That is why they went out on the streets in 2011.
“So the idea that the judiciary finds him completely clear and his sons not guilty of that is for them a a very large pill to swallow.”
She said it is currently unclear when the former president will be released as it is not known how much of his three-year sentence the court will say he has already served.
It is possible he could be freed within months.
Today’s ruling can once again be appealed.
Tear Gas Fired At Mubarak Protesters In Cairo
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