Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak lies on a stretcher inside a cage as his murder trial opens in Cairo. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
Deposed Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak denied involvement in the killing of pro-democracy protesters during his long-awaited appearance before a Cairo court Wednesday.
Mubarak, who was wheeled into the defendant's cage on a gurney, was charged with complicity in the killings of protesters in the uprising that swept him from power in February. He was also charged with corruption during his autocratic 30-year rule.
After hearing the charges, Mubarak said: "All these charges, I deny them completely."
The 83-year-old lay on his back but appeared alert. His once-powerful two sons, Gamal and Alaa, stood before him in white tracksuits, occasionally bending down and talking quietly to their father. They also pleaded not guilty.
They were joined in the cage by Mubarak's former interior minister Habib al Adly, and six former security officials. A lawyer representing bereaved families requested the death penalty for al Adly, a deeply unpopular figure.
Mubarak was flown from Sharm el Sheikh, where he was hospitalized, to the capital. He was flown by helicopter to the Cairo police academy where the court is sitting, and then driven to the courtroom in an ambulance.
Presiding judge Ahmed Refaat declared proceedings open, adding that he would not tolerate interruptions. He then conducted a somewhat chaotic roll call of lawyers, seeking to confirm who would be representing which defendant.
After more than an hour of procedural matters, the presiding judge declared a brief recess and Mubarak was wheeled out.
Mubarak loyalists briefly clashed with opponents outside the academy - formerly called the Mubarak Police Academy - both before and during the trial. Security forces, which were deployed en masse, swiftly intervened.
About 600 people, including lawyers and families of some of those killed in the uprising, packed into the auditorium, and the trial was broadcast live on TV.
More than 800 people were killed and 6000 wounded in the 18-day uprising against Mubarak's rule, which ended with a dramatic announcement, on February 11, that he was giving up power.
Egypt's military rulers, who seized power from Mubarak, were initially reluctant to prosecute a fellow officer who was seen by many as a war hero because of his role as air-force commander during Egypt's 1973 conflict with Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported. It was only in May that Egypt's prosecutors announced they would try the former president, yielding to mounting pressure from the country's liberals, leftists and Islamists,
Mubarak, once a staunch US ally, has been hospitalized in Sharm el Sheikh for months. His lawyer said Mubarak was suffering cancer that affected his heart and brain and was in a "full coma," although this was denied by the hospital, which said he was stable, but weak and depressed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment