Hosni Mubarak is still not dead

Contrary to speculation that Hosni Mubarak died last week, the Egyptian President is still alive.

Following a flurry of rumors that swept Egypt after a series of confusingly worded press releases from the Egyptian government, new video was released of Mubarak from the German hospital where he is in treatment. Mubarak, 81, had his gallbladder and a benign small intestine growth removed.

Official Egyptian press releases omitted the information that Mubarak was undergoing a biopsy, causing much of the confusion. The Egyptian government practices heavy-handed press censorship; the President’s health is a closely guarded state secret.

True/Slant, CBS News and the Christian Science Monitor were among the publications and news organizations reporting on the Egyptian press rumors.

According to Dr. Markus Buechler of Heidelberg University Hospital:

“He was upbeat and in very good spirits as usual. His resolve and willpower… was very obvious this morning as he looked forward to going back to his normal life.”

Upon the release of the video, shares on the Cairo Stock Exchange bounced back from a 6% loss that began after death rumors first began circulating Friday.

If Mubarak dies, there is an unclear line of succession in the country. Among those angling to replace Mubarak are the favored candidate, son Gamal Mubarak; others include Gen. Omar Suleiman and former IAEA head Mohammed el-Baradei. Mubarak has been Egypt’s longest-serving leader in more than a century and surgery in an 81-year-old is never a simple matter.

All of this goes to underscore the important lesson: In an unfree society, rumors and speculation will inevitably run rampant. If you want to stop the misinformation, than free the press to do their job.