[JURIST] Former Egyptian prime minister Hosni Mubarak [BBC profile] was moved from prison to house arrest on a military hospital on Thursday. Mubarak’s release [AP report] comes amid widespread protests led by the Muslim Brotherhood [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] following last month’s ouster [JURIST news report] of president Mohammed Morsi. Although Mubarak’s release of comes at a politically charged time in Egypt, there has been little protest. Mubarak’s current physical condition is unknown, with rumors including a stroke, a heart attack and a coma.

Mubarak and other members of his former administration have been the subject of controversial judicial proceedings since the Egyptian Revolution [JURIST backgrounder] began in 2011. Earlier this week a court in Cairo ordered [JURIST report] Mubarak’s release. In February an Egyptian court ordered the release [JURIST report] of Mubarak’s former chief of staff. In January an Egyptian appeals judge overturned Mubarak’s conviction JURIST report] and ordered a retrial for the former president on the charge of failure to prevent the killing of more than 800 protesters in 2012. Also in January former culture minister Farouq Hosni was acquitted of charges [JURIST report] of corruption and illegal enrichment. Last August the former secretary for the Mubarak’s political party, Safwat El-Sherif, was referred to criminal court [JURIST report] for abusing his position by illegally obtaining $49.2 million and real estates at discounted prices. In July an Egypt court rejected pleas to release [JURIST report] Mubarak’s two sons while they await trial, even as their lawyer argued they were detained unlawfully for longer than permissible under Egyptian law. Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, along with seven others, were charged [JURIST report] with stock market fraud, using unfair trading practices and illegally manipulating the market.