CAIRO — Controversy prevailed in Egypt following the official military funeral Feb. 26 for former President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country with an iron fist for nearly three decades.

He was ousted by the January 25 Revolution, when millions of Egyptians swarmed the streets to take down his regime. Yet, at his funeral, he was portrayed as a hero worthy of honor, as artillery fired 21 rounds to salute the deceased autocrat. A horse-drawn carriage transported his coffin, which was draped in the Egyptian flag. Amid a backdrop of military music, soldiers carried floral wreaths and the military decorations obtained by Mubarak throughout his military service.

Lawyer Gamal Eid, the executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, told Al-Monitor that Mubarak was not entitled to a military funeral since he was convicted of a charge offending honor.

An Egyptian court ruled in January 2016 that Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were guilty of corruption and sentenced them to three years in prison with fines of 125 million Egyptian pounds ($16.4 million).