CAIRO, EGYPT. - Ex-president Hosni Mubarak, who was sentenced to life in prison last week, has been placed on ventilators due to serious health issues, according the country's state news agency, MENA.
The 84-year-old was reported to be given artificial respiration five times with an hour on Wednesday, before he was transferred from the Torah prison to a military hospital Thursday, where he has been on a respirator ever since.
One of Mubarak's sons Gamal has been granted permission to attend to his father's side, while Alaa, his other son, is still seeking approval from authorities, according to reports by USA Today.
Hosni Mubarak, former Egyptian president, was sentenced to life in prison by the Egyptian court on Saturday for complying in the killings of 850 demonstrators during the January 2011 peaceful protests, which ultimately ousted him from power.
Judge Ahmed Refaat, convicted the ex-president for failure to stop the January 2011 killings instead of ordering them, claiming that only conclusive evidence showed Mubarak and top officials commanding the murders. Had Mubarak being convicted of the killings, he could have faced the death penalty. However, Refaat stands by his decision as fair and appropriate.
The former Interior Minister, Habib al-Adly, was also sentenced to life in prison for the same reason.
With the end of the 60-year-Mubarak regime, Egypt is heading for a crucial transition, with all eyes from the international community anxiously waiting to see what will happen. The runoff elections are expected to take place later this month
