Egypt’s top appeals court has acquitted former dictator Hosni Mubarak of involvement in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 revolution that ended his nearly three-decade reign. The former president was originally sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for conspiring to murder 239 demonstrators during an 18-day revolt which began in January 2011.He was also found guilty of sowing chaos and creating a security vacuum.

However, an appeals court later overturned the verdict and ordered a retrial, citing technical flaws in the prosecution. The retrial resulted in dropping the case two years later, but the public prosecution appealed the decision and ordered another retrial by Egypt’s top appeals court. The Thursday ruling by Egypt’s top appeals court — the Court of Cassation — is final.

During the court hearing, the judge read Mubarak the charges, in which he and his interior minister were accused of providing weapons and vehicles used to assault protesters. Mubarak denied the charges as he was sitting in a wheelchair in the defendant’s cage, saying, “It did not happen.” Hundreds of people died when security forces clashed with demonstrators in the weeks before Mubarak was ousted from power in 2011.

Presstv