Officials Say Mubarak's Health Rapidly Deteriorating

Days after being sentenced to life in prison, Hosni Mubarak’s health is rapidly deteriorating and the former Egyptian president is likely to soon be moved from prison to a nearby military hospital, Reuters reported Wednesday afternoon.

The 84-year-old ex-leader was being treated in a medical facility until Saturday, when a court sentenced him to life in prison for his hand in the death of protesters in the Egyptian popular uprising that unseated him last February. Over the weekend, Mubarak was moved to Torah prison in Cairo. According to the Los Angeles Times, his health was already in decline and he was reluctant to leave the helicopter that delivered him to the jail.

Doctors have been treating Mubarak for high blood pressure, shock, and breathing problems in the prison’s intensive care unit, though they warn his condition is rapidly deteriorating. Mubarak received artificial respiration five times over a several-hour stretch Wednesday, the Associated Press learned from prison security officials who reported that his health was in a "dangerous" phase.

Many Egyptians see the hype over the ex-president’s health as an attempt to garner sympathy for him. It is possible Mubarak’s sentence will be overturned on appeal as six of his police commanders were acquitted in the same trial.