On Tuesday, February 25, Egyptian state television reported the death of former President Hosni Mubarak. He died at the age of 91. According to the portal Al-Watan, the politician died in a military hospital in Cairo after a long illness.
“Verily, we belong to Allah, and we return to Him! This morning, my father, President Mubarak, passed away. May Allah have mercy on him and forgive his sins and rest his soul! ” - wrote the son of the former president of Egypt Al Mubarak.
A month ago, on January 24, Mubarak Jr. reported that the former Egyptian leader had successfully undergone surgery and is in stable condition. However, on Sunday, February 23, politician attorney Farid al-Dib told Egypt Independent that Hosni was transferred to the intensive care unit.
Condolences to the family of Hosni Mubarak were expressed by the administration of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to RIA Novosti, the document notes the merits of the ex-head of state as one of the heroes of the fourth Arab-Israeli war on October 6–25, 1973 (Doomsday War).
According to TASS, citing sources close to the family politician, the funeral of the fourth president of Egypt will be held on February 26.
Hosni Mubarak led Egypt from 1981 to 2011. According to the World Bank, during this time, GDP grew from $ 23.4 billion to $ 236 billion, and GDP per capita increased from $ 517 to $ 2602. External debt also fell by $ 10 billion, from $ 45 billion to $ 35 billion. According to Al Jazeera, his rule is partially characterized by corruption, police brutality, political repression and deep-seated economic problems. At the same time, he was an ally of the United States, "the guardian of peace between Egypt and Israel."
In February 2011, he resigned amid mass protests. After the end of his 30-year reign, criminal cases were brought against the ex-head of state, relating to both corruption crimes and possible involvement in the shooting of demonstrators during the so-called “Arab Spring”.
Initially, Mubarak was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case of the death of civilians, but a couple of years later the verdict was appealed and revised. In March 2017, the Court of Cassation finally acquitted the ex-president of Egypt.
At the same time, the ex-leader was still found guilty of financial fraud with funds allocated for the repair and maintenance of presidential residences. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but he was credited with the term of pre-trial detention. In total, he was detained for almost six years.
"Real soldier"
Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Russian Public Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy Sergei Ordzhonikidze recalled that Hosni Mubarak trained as a pilot in the Soviet Union and knew Russian. According to him, the former Egyptian leader was a “very interesting, balanced person” who did not choose either side.
“He was first vice-president of Egypt, and after the assassination of Sadat in 1981, he became president of the country. With him, foreign policy has become more balanced, not one-sided with a focus on the United States, as it was under Sadat, ”RIA Novosti quotes the former deputy foreign minister of Russia.
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Hosni Mubarak, from 1959 to 1960, was educated in the USSR at a military aviation school in the city of Frunze (currently the Military Institute of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek. - RT ). During this time, he managed to learn the Russian language, and also mastered the control of the Il-28 and Tu-16 bombers.
In 1964-1965, he returned to the Soviet Union and took a staff training course at the Military Academy. Frunze in Moscow.
In turn, the head of the State Duma committee on international affairs Leonid Slutsky added that Mubarak made a significant contribution to resolving the situation in the Middle East.
“The son of a simple Egyptian peasant, a military pilot who rose to the rank of Air Force Marshal and Lieutenant General of the Armed Forces of Egypt, he was at the top of power for 30 years. He was a courageous man, a real soldier. Mubarak’s life was repeatedly endangered, only during his political career he survived six assassination attempts, ”said the parliamentarian.
According to him, the descendants and historians will be involved in evaluating the activities of the former Egyptian ruler, but it can definitely be said that his rule has become a whole era for both Egypt and the entire Middle East region.