The lawyer for deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said he could soon be freed, having served two-thirds of a corruption sentence and been cleared in the deaths of anti-government demonstrators in 2011.
The 86-year-old Mubarak is being held in a military hospital, serving a three-year sentence in the graft case. But his attorney, Farid al-Deeb, said Sunday the former Egyptian leader could be released early under a new Egyptian provision that frees prisoners after they have served two-thirds of their sentences, which Mubarak has.
Hundreds of students protested Sunday at universities throughout Egypt. Demonstrators at Cairo University waved pictures of Mubarak behind bars and demanded the "fall of the regime," the rallying cry of the Arab Spring uprisings across the Mideast three years ago.
Two killed, nine injured in protests
Egyptian authorities said two people were killed and nine injured Saturday night in protests following a court decision to drop murder charges against Mubarak in the 2011 uprising in Cairo that led to his ouster. He also was acquitted of a separate corruption charge.
Mubarak supporters erupted in cheers inside a courtroom Saturday as the court announced its rulings, while those outside demanded revenge and justice.
Mubarak's sons and co-defendants kissed him on his forehead as he listened from his upright stretcher.
Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for alleged conspiracy in the deaths of 239 anti-government protesters a year earlier. A higher court overturned the verdict on appeal and ordered a retrial.
The former president's interior minister and six other senior security officers also were acquitted. Separate corruption charges against sons Ala'a and Gamal were also dropped.
Egyptian television station Satellite Channel 1 reported that a prosecutor is considering an appeal of Saturday's verdict.
Mubarak ruled Egypt from 1981 until a popular uprising against alleged corruption and police brutality forced him to resign in 2011.
