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Hosny Mubarak is a free man after dramatic court battle

Egypt's former president Hosny Mubarak returned home today after nearly six years in detention.

His release comes three weeks after a final court verdict acquitting him of the deaths of protesters during the 2011 revolt that ended his 30-year rule.

The following is a timeline of major events since his ouster:

April 11, 2011: Mubarak is taken into custody under public pressure. He is questioned for alleged corruption and involvement in killing hundreds of demonstrators during the 2011 uprising.

August 3: Mubarak makes his first public appearance since stepping down to face trial on charges of corruption and protester deaths. Former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six ex-security aides are tried alongside him. Mubarak''s sons, Alaa and Gamal, are tried on corruption charges.

September 24: The chief of the military council, Hussein Tantawi, gives testimony behind closed doors. Lawyers for the victims' families accuse Tantawi of favouring Mubarak in his testimony and request for him to be replaced, prompting the trial to be suspended.

December 28: After a three-month suspension, the trial resumes with the same judges after a suit to replace them is dismissed.

June 2, 2012: The court sentences Mubarak to life in prison after convicting him of involvement in the protester deaths. He and his two sons are acquitted of graft charges.

January 13, 2013: Egypt's top appeals court revokes Mubarak's life sentence and orders a retrial for him and co-defendants.

April 13: Retrial opens and judges step down, tersely citing "reasons of discomfort."

May 11: Retrial resumes with a new panel of judges.

August 19: A court orders Mubarak''s release from prison after settlement of a corruption case against him.

August 21: Caretaker prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi, using powers granted to him under the state of emergency, orders Mubarak to be put under house arrest at a Cairo military hospital.

May 21, 2014: A Cairo court sentences Mubarak to three years in prison on charges of embezzlement during his rule.

August 13: In a rare court statement, Mubarak defends his legacy as president, pleading not guilty on charges of corruption and involvement in protester deaths.

November 29: The court dismisses the murder case against Mubarak and acquits al-Adly and the six ex-police chiefs in the same case. The court clears Mubarak and his two sons of corruption. The rulings trigger violent protests in central Cairo.

December 2: the chief prosecutor appeals against the verdict.

April 2, 2015: The highest appeals court starts hearing the appeal.

June 4: The court grants the appeal and orders a retrial for Mubarak. The court upholds acquittals of other defendants in the case.

November 5: The retrial starts and is adjourned four times to allow time for authorities to provide a well-secured venue.

March 2, 2017: Mubarak gets an irreversible acquittal verdict.

March 24: The 88-year-old is released from the hospital and returns to his house in the eastern Cairo quarter of Heliopolis.

- dpa

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