On 25 February, Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak passed away at the age of 91 in Cairo, weeks after undergoing surgery. Mubarak ruled Egypt for 30 years until he was deposed as a result of the Arab Spring in 2011. After his ousting, he spent six years in prison, but was released in 2017 following his acquittal over most charges. Mubarak became president after Anwar Sadat’s assassination in October 1981. During his time in office, he kept Egypt under emergency law, restricting basic freedoms and expanding the security forces power. He run for president in unopposed elections in four of his five terms in office, in a system that was a democracy only in name. When it comes to foreign policy, he followed Sadat’s steps, remaining one of the most important US allies in the region and a firm supporter of the peace with Israel. He also promoted economic liberalisation, but in his three decades of rule he failed to revive the Egyptian economy, which remains characterised by socioeconomic issues such as youth unemployment, poverty, and social inequality. Most of these cleavages were at the core of the mass protests which led to his ousting on 11 February 2011, after the Egyptian military turned its back on him and transferred authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.