Egypt s High Administrative Court overturned on Saturday a previous conviction against former president Hosni Mubarak, his prime minister Ahmed Nazif and former interior minister Habib Al-Adly, who were convicted in May 2011 for cutting electronic communication throughout the country during the January 2011 uprising.
The previous court ruling had levied a fine totalling EGP 540 million for the damages to the economy caused by the decision to disable communications. The defence for the three former officials filed an appeal against the decision.
During the nationwide uprisings that ousted Mubarak in 2011, all electronic communication in the country – including the internet, mobile phones and landlines – was cut on 28 January for several days to prevent protesters from communicating.
During its ruling on Saturday, the court said that "the decision to cut communications during the January 2011 revolution was a legal decision in accordance with the law and the constitution, and was issued by El-Adly to preserve the national security of the country."
