Mubarak Is Dead, Alive or Somewhere in Between

Former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, whose health has been questionable since thousands of Egyptians took to Tahrir Square in 2011 to demand his removal from power, was reported close to death Tuesday, following a stroke. One report said he was being kept alive only by life support, though this has been disputed.

Mubarak was flown from prison, where he has been sentenced to stay until his death, to a military hospital for better treatment (although one cannot put the military junta that has been dissolving Egypt’s newborn democracy past suspicion of anything).

Thousands of Egyptians responded to the Muslim Brotherhood’s call the same day to rally in Tahrir Square against the military’s recent behavior. The caretaker government, which is now confronted by the electoral defeat of its presidential candidate, recently dissolved Parliament and neutered the presidency. The official election results will be announced later this week.

Hosni Mubarak was born in 1928. He ruled Egypt for 30 years, from 1981 to 2011.

—Posted by Peter Z. Scheer

State Department

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Mubarak in 2010.