Court orders the release of former president Hosni Mubarak

Many worry that Monday’s court orders to release Egypt’s former president, Hosni Mubarak, are a sign of Egypt’s return to an authoritarian state.

Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt for three decades before his deposal. The former ex-president is currently serving life in prison for allowing the murder of protestors in the 2011 uprisings, but after lawyers acquitted him in a separate corruption case, a request for his release is in place, reports NBC News.

Analysts worry that the mere possibility of the ex-president’s release is a sign that Egypt is regressing back to the authoritarian regime witnessed under Mubarak. Concerns are fueled by the institution of ‘emergency law’ which removes citizens’ rights to trial and assigns generals as governors.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Badr Abdellaty, told the New York Times “The emergency law is just for one month and for one objective: fighting terrorism,” denying all accusations of dictatorial rule.

Mubarak’s legal team will submit a request for his release within the next few days.