CAIRO — An Egyptian
court yesterday ordered former president Hosni Mubarak freed, as authorities
pressed their roundup of supporters of Mohamed Mursi. There was no indication
of whether a release was imminent. In the past, prosecutors have filed new
charges to keep Mubarak in jail after courts have ordered his conditional
release. The decision added a volatile new element to the political turmoil
that has gripped Egypt since Mursi was removed on July 3, with 1,000 people
killed in violence in the past week. That unrest has prompted international
criticism, and EU foreign ministers agreed in an emergency meeting yesterday to
suspend the sale of arms and security equipment to Egypt. Last year, Mubarak was convicted of
complicity in the deaths of some of the 850 people killed in the 2011 violence
that saw him lose power, as well as on charges of corruption. Should he be
freed, he still faces those charges and his next hearing is scheduled for
Sunday. The EU decided to suspend export licences to Egypt for any equipment
that could be used for repression and to reassess arms export licences and
review assistance with Egypt.
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