Archive for Mubarak trial

Prison authority requests transfer of Mubarak to military hospital

by admin
December 18th, 2012

The prison authority has requested that the Defense Ministry grant permission to transfer former President Hosni Mubarak to Maadi Military Hospital due to his deteriorating health.

Assistant Interior Minister for prisons Mohamed Ibrahim told the Anadolu news agency that the transfer from Tora Prison to the hospital would take place as soon as the Defense Ministry responds to the request.

Mubarak had received treatment at that hospital before he began serving his sentence at Tora Prison.

Two days ago the former president fell while in the bathroom and sustained injuries to his head and bruises to his torso. He reportedly has had several fainting incidents over the past few weeks.

After Mubarak stepped down on 11 February 2011, he was treated in the Sharm al-Sheikh International Hospital. The Criminal Court then transferred him to the World Medical Center near Cairo as he awaited trial.

Hearings in the Mubarak trial began on 3 August 2011. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the revolution.

The former top prosecutor transferred Mubarak to the Tora Prison Hospital on 2 June 2012. Mubarak briefly left Tora and was transferred to the Maadi Military Hospital shortly thereafter, but returned to prison on 17 July, where the majority of former regime figures are serving their sentences.

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Update: Brotherhood members arrive in thousands for Tahrir protest

by admin
June 5th, 2012

Several buses carrying thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members from various governorates arrived at Tahrir Square on Tuesday to take part in what activists have labeled a million-person protest against the verdicts in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak and others.

Hundreds of protesters marched around the square, holding banners demanding a retrial for Mubarak, his sons Gamal and Alaa, and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly.

Popular committees in charge of securing the square’s entrances disappeared as protesters began to flood the iconic traffic circle. By the afternoon, youths had begun collecting barriers to be set up on Talaat Harb Street leading to Tahrir.

On Saturday, a Cairo criminal court sentenced Mubarak and Adly to life in prison for failing to prevent the murder of pro-democracy protesters during the 18-day revolt that forced Mubarak to step down. The court also exonerated six former senior security officials on the same charges.

Mubarak’s two sons and businessman Hussein Salem were found not guilty of separate financial corruption charges.

The Tuesday demonstration also demanded the application of the military government-approved Political Isolation Law, which would prevent former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq from competing in the presidential runoff on 16 and 17 June.

Protesters called for the formation of a presidential council comprising prominent pro-revolution figures to replace the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces two weeks before the election is set to take place.

Shafiq and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy both reject the idea, saying the winner of the runoff election will be the legitimate president of the country.

Tahrir Square, which was the axis of the January 2011 uprising, has seen mass protests since the Mubarak trial verdict was issued.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Three security officials acquitted in Mubarak trial leave prison

by admin
June 3rd, 2012

Three of the six former security officials acquitted Saturday in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak have left Tora Prison after completing release procedures.

The court gave Mubarak and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly life sentences for their involvement in killing protesters during the 25 January 2011 uprising, but set nine other defendants free.

Leaving Sunday were Ahmed Ramzy, the former head of the Central Security Forces, Egypt’s riot police; Ismail al-Shaer, the former head of Cairo security; and Adly Fayed, the former head of public security.

Their and the others’ acquittals on Saturday angered many Egyptians who wanted harsher sentences.

Amnesty International said Saturday that both Ramzy and Shaer “by virtue of their position at least, at a minimum must have known about the illegal use of deadly force against protesters by police forces under their control. The court did not appear to apply the same due diligence standard it applied to Mubarak and Adly.”

Hassan Abdel Rahman, former head of the now-defunct State Security Investigation Services, remained in custody on charges of burning bureau files after Mubarak stepped down.

State-owned news agency MENA quoted a security source as saying prosecutors signed the release order for the three after ensuring they were not being tried in any other cases.

The other senior security officials who were acquitted, Osama al-Marassi, Hassan Abdel Rahman and Omar al-Faramawy, left the court immediately after their acquittal, as they had not been detained pending trial.

Faramawy on Saturday told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he hopes to return to work at the Interior Ministry after his release.

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Israel intensifies border security after Mubarak verdict, sources say

by admin
June 3rd, 2012

Israel has intensified security on its border with Egypt for the first time after verdicts were issued in the Mubarak trial yesterday, security sources in Sinai told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Eyewitnesses at the border area said the presence of Israeli armored vehicles and border patrols has increased markedly over the past two days due to terrorism fears.

The sources denied that Egypt had deployed forces on its borders and said everything was normal.

On Saturday, Mubarak and his longtime interior minister, Habib al-Adly, were given life sentences for failing to stop the killing of protesters during the 25 January uprising. The court cleared six high-ranking Interior Ministry officials of the same charges, and acquitted Mubarak’s sons Alaa and Gamal of financial corruption charges.

After the eruption of the 25 January revolution, Israeli fears over its relationship with Egypt and the Camp David Accords grew in light of the increasing prominence of Islamists in Egypt.

In an interview with Israeli TV on Saturday, Knesset member Benjamin Ben-Eliezer expressed disappointment over the court ruling and said he expected the court to sympathize with Israel.

He also added that Mubarak’s efforts over the past 30 years to keep stability in the Middle East was important, not because of Mubarak’s position as president of Egypt, but for his wisdom and deep knowledge of the Middle East.

“Whoever knew Mubarak closely would know that Middle East will not be the same. It makes me disappointed that the change is not toward the best,” he said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Calm in Tahrir after mass protests against Mubarak trial verdicts

by admin
June 3rd, 2012

Calm prevailed on Sunday in Tahrir Square following mass rallies on Saturday to protest the rulings issued in the trial of toppled leader Hosni Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six high-ranking Interior Ministry officials.

However, hundreds of protesters were in the square and traffic remained blocked. Thirteen tents were pitched in the square.

Around 150 protesters marched through the streets surrounding Tahrir and then returned to the square.

Several political and revolutionary groups and individuals had declared at midnight their intention to stage a sit-in protesting the court rulings that cleared all six Interior Ministry officials of killing protesters.

Adly and Mubarak were handed down life sentences for failing to stop the killings.

The protesters said the sit-in would continue until all the main demands of the 25 January revolution are fulfilled.

Protesters and passers-by discussed the situation.

Protesters were convinced of the necessity of taking to the square again to suspend the presidential election, form a presidential council of candidates excluded from the election and independents, purge the media and judiciary of corruption, and form revolutionary courts to publically try former regime figures.

However, others saw the trial as one of the revolution’s gains, as Mubarak is the first Egyptian president to stand trial and be imprisoned. They called for calm until the runoff election concludes, saying the presidential election marks the beginning of the democratic path and the improvement of Egyptians’ living conditions.

Protesters chanted slogans demanding justice and the application of the Political Isolation Law that Parliament passed, which would disqualify former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who is running in the runoff elections.

Meanwhile, barriers are still located at the square’s entrances and traffic police are diverting the traffic to avoid congestion. The popular committees who had been taking care of traffic yesterday had disappeared.

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Live updates: Mubarak trial set to begin shortly

by admin
June 2nd, 2012

The historic trial of toppled President Hosni Mubarak is set to wrap up today when the presiding judge, Ahmed Refaat, hands down a verdict. The trial began in August 2011 and was adjourned on 22 February when Refaat declared that a verdict will be pronounced on 2 June. The former president could face a variety of punishments, up to the death penalty, for charges of conspriing to kill protesters during the uprising in January and February 2011. His former Minister of Interior Habib al-Adly faces the same charges in the same trial. Mubarak, along with his sons Gamal and Alaa, are also charged with corruption for involvement in selling state land at below-market prices. The trial is being held at the Police Academy in the Fifth Settlement on the eastern outskirts of Cairo. 

9:20 am: Judge Refaat has arrived at the court room. The former president, who will be transported to the court by helicopter, has not yet arrived.

9:00 am: The session is set to start momentarily. Heavy security is deployed outside the police academy. Families of martyrs' have gathered outside, anxiously awaiting a verdict.

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Mubarak trial verdict to be aired live, MENA reports

by admin
June 1st, 2012

Egyptian state television will broadcast live the verdict and sentencing on Saturday of ex-President Hosni Mubarak, his sons and security chiefs in a murder and corruption trial, official media reported.

State television will charge foreign media between US$7,000 and US$10,000 to buy the coverage, the official MENA news agency quoted the head the of the state's Egyptian Radio and Television Union, Tharwat al-Mekki, as saying.

The first several hearings the trial, which started in August,were broadcast live, but chief judge Ahmed Refaat then ordered cameras out before witnesses began to take the stand.

Mubarak and his security chiefs are charged with murder over the killings of protesters during the 18-day revolt that overthrew him on 11 February, 2011.

He shares corruption charges with his sons Alaa and Gamal.

The trial is taking place in the police academy that was once named after Mubarak on Cairo's outskirts.

In the opening hearing, dramatically aired live to millions in Egypt and abroad, Mubarak made his first public appearance since his ouster arriving on a stretcher.

A camera zoomed in on him as he fidgeted with his nose but mostly lay prone while his two sons Alaa and Gamal tried to obscure him from view.

Security officials said 5,000 policemen and 2,000 soldiers will secure Saturday's session and Mubarak's transport from a military hospital where he is detained. He will arrive in the academy on board a medical helicopter.

The 84-year-old former strongman, who receives treatment for a heart condition, was wheeled into the defendants' cage on a stretcher in past hearings, usually covered in a blanket.

His two sons Alaa and Gamal, both in white prison uniforms, stood by him, sometimes whispering to him when he apparently could not make out what the judge or witnesses said.

Over the 36 hearings, journalists, some relatives of the alleged victims and their lawyers were banned from bringing in cell phones to the court room.

Most of the benches in the lecture hall that serves as a court room were filled by often napping riot police conscripts in civilian clothes, while a few Mubarak supporters managed to gain entry as well.

Mubarak, his interior minister Habib al-Adly and six police commanders face the death penalty if convicted on the murder charges. Some 850 people died in the uprising.

Observers say the verdict may have an impact on a presidential election run off on 16 and 17 June between the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsy and Mubarak's last premier Ahmed Shafiq, who pledges he will not revive the dictator's era.

In an interview aired by the pan-Arab satellite station Al-Arabiya, Morsy said Mubarak and his co-defendants should be retried with better evidence.

"I affirm the necessity of retrying these people," he said. "Through the executive, honourable policeman and prosecution, there could be real evidence that brings justice to Mubarak and his codefendents."

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20,000 police, 160 tanks to secure Mubarak trial ahead of verdict

by admin
May 31st, 2012

In anticipation of a violent reaction to former President Hosni Mubarak's sentencing, officials unveiled a plan to secure the Saturday session of his trial that includes the deployment of 160 tanks and thousands of police officers.

Security sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that a bomb squad would examine the special Police Academy courtroom dedicated to the trial 24 hours before the 2 June session.

Security forces will also use bomb-sniffing dogs, electronic gates and metal detectors, according to a plan the Interior Ministry approved Wednesday. More than 20,000 police officers and 60 tanks will surround the academy in Cairo's Fifth Settlement and 100 tanks will be stationed inside the grounds.

Former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six high-ranking security officials are facing trial alongside Mubarak for the alleged involvement in killing protesters during the 18-day uprising last January and February that ended Mubarak’s three-decade rule. More than 850 people were killed during those 18 days and thousands were injured.

The former president, his sons Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, and businessman Hussein Salem were also tried for corruption in a separate case heard during the same proceedings, which began last summer.

The prosecution has requested the death penalty for Mubarak, a punishment usually carried out by hanging in Egypt. Mubarak's defense team plans to appeal a potential guilty verdict.

Although Mubarak has typically been transported by helicopter to the makeshift court, the security plan for Saturday's session includes protecting the roads surrounding the International Medical Center where Mubarak has been detained and received medical treatment throughout the trial.

Heavy security is also expected on roads that other defendants will travel. According to the plan, the courtroom will be evacuated once the judge reads the ruling and the defendants will transported to their places of detention.

The same sources said arrangements have been made for a possible attack on prisons.

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Update: Judge to give verdict in Mubarak trial on 2 June

by admin
February 22nd, 2012

The verdict in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak, charged with ordering the killing of protesters in the uprising that swept him from power, will be delivered on 2 June, Judge Ahmed Refaat said on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who is also charged with killing protesters during the 25 January revolution, said Wednesday, “An internal and external conspiracy was organized to use protesters to overthrow the regime.”

State-run Nile News reported quotes from Adly’s address to the court. The channel said Adly elaborated for an hour and a half on the alleged conspiracy.

State newspaper Al-Ahram’s website quoted Adly as saying, “I swear to God that I’m telling the truth and that I’m not trying to shirk responsibility for the crime.”

He said security bodies learned of plans to organize peaceful protests on 25 January and notified the president and cabinet of the demonstrations.

Adly said he held a meeting on 20 January 2011 with former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, Information Minister Anas al-Fiqqi, Communications Minister Tareq Kamel and Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman on instructions from ex-President Mubarak during which they agreed to cut off communications to properly secure the protests.

Adly denied accusations that he cut off communications. He said the decision was to curb protesters from heading to Tahrir Square, where several vital establishments are located, and to protect the lives of the protesters themselves.

Adly said he gave clear instructions to officers not to use live ammunition against protesters except in cases of legitimate self-defense.

Earlier during the session, the attorney general forwarded a parliamentary report to the court Wednesday that said Tora Prison has the necessary medical facilities to treat former President Mubarak and he can be transferred to the prison hospital.

During his trial on charges of killing protesters, Mubarak has been spending his detention at the military-run International Medical Center due to health conditions.

But under public pressure, the Health Committee of Parliament’s lower house, the People’s Assembly, inspected the hospital at Tora prison on 15 February to see whether it has the necessary medical facilities to care for Mubarak. The committee issued a report earlier this week affirming that it is suitable.

“We inform your honor that [the Tora prison] hospital is ready to receive the primary defendant, Mohamed Hosni al-Sayed Mubarak,” the report to the court said.

State-run news agency MENA reported that after reading the letter, Refaat argued with of the plaintiffs’ lawyers who had previously questioned the court’s competence.

The dispute forced Refaat to adjourn the session after two minutes, and the lawyer’s colleagues wrote a memo to the court saying he does not represent them.

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Former official: State Information Services involved in agitating against demonstrators, former official

by admin
February 15th, 2012

Mogahed Abdel Azim, a former official in charge of the State Information Services (SIS) print shops, said on Tuesday the current president of the SIS, Ismail Khairat, was involved in incitement against peaceful demonstrators during the 25 January revolution.

Speaking at a conference on the corruption of authority at Hisham Mubarak Law Center in downtown Cairo, Abdel Azim said that the SIS press center portrayed foreign correspondents as agents and spies from foreign countries in order to thwart the revolution.

He added that the press center played a role in the assaults that targeted the demonstrators on 2 February 2011, the incident known as the “Battle of the Camel.”

“Khairat held a press conference during the revolution at the Egyptian Museum and told foreign reporters that this was only an uprising that would not succeed in toppling Mubarak,” Abdel Azim added.

Khairat was also involved in printing a million posters of Mubarak after the revolution, Abdel Azim said, adding that these posters were distributed among the former President’s supporters outside Cairo Criminal Court during the early sessions of the Mubarak trial.

He added that SIS paid 45,000 pounds sterling to an advertising agency in London, another 35,000 Euros to an agency in Paris and US$250,000 to one in Washington for them to promote the image of Mubarak’s son, Gamal.

Abdel Azim said SIS printed 10,000 copies of a book on the role of civil society organizations after the revolution and distributed them to Egypt’s embassies and consulates all over the world, but the military council confiscated them because the book recognizes the role of the April 6 Youth Movement, the Kefaya Movement and ElBaradei supporters in creating the political climate of the revolution.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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