Mubarak's Hunger Strike Leaves Former Leader 'Extremely Weak'
Former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has undertaken a hunger strike, which has left him in an "extremely weak" condition, according to his medical team.
Mubarak was ousted from his leadership position in February in highly publicized citizen protests following a 30-year reign of power.
Mubarak is set to go on trial on August 3rd and is facing charges of ordering the killing of protestors, as well as other corruption charges.
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Mubarak is set to stand trial with his two sons, his former interior minister, and six police commanders.
The head of the Red Sea resort hospital where Mubarak is currently being taken care of told Egypt's state news agency, "He is completely refusing to eat food but consumes some liquids and juice only. He has lost a lot of weight and suffers from weakness and severe infirmity."
Mubarak's medical team is claiming that the former Egyptian strongman is unfit to stand trial due to his current state of weakness that is being exacerbated by preexisting medical conditions.
Mubarak suffered from a heart attack last April, and his medical team is claiming that he has yet to recover from the attack, has had a reoccurrence of stomach cancer, and continues to slip in and out of a coma.
There may be some truth to Mubarak's ailing condition, as even independent doctors cite his hunger strike as severely decapitating to his health.
However, critics claim Mubarak is carrying out a hunger strike as a way to evade standing trail, and have accused him of indulging in "theatrics."
Nevertheless, Mubarak's team are not the only people who want to avoid the impending trial, as the current ruling generals may also have a stake in evading a Mubarak trial out of fear for what might be revealed in terms of their role in the former regime.
Protests have continued in Egypt and many have denounced the military, which formed the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, as the ruling party. The military regime has been criticized for its use of brutal force during Mubarak's regime, their reluctance to implement new reforms, and their unwillingness to remove corrupt officials out of office.
Protestors are increasingly becoming restless and many fear that the current military leadership is trying to overt a real Egyptian transition to democracy.
Without a trial, some observers fear that the situation in Egypt will likely worsen, a case scenario that Egypt's neighbors, such as Saudi Arabia, are hoping to avert.
