EGYPT: Egyptians await an historic verdict in their former president Hosni Mubarak's trial, with many hoping for a guilty verdict for the former dictator

Record ID: 862238

  • Title: EGYPT: Egyptians await an historic verdict in their former president Hosni Mubarak's trial, with many hoping for a guilty verdict for the former dictator
  • Date: 3rd June 2012
  • Summary: NEWSPAPER
  • Embargoed: 18th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • City:
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Crime,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9CXM80ZBOHQ6UTTWI3CTFVD6T
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  • Story Text: Egyptians were waiting in eager anticipation early on Saturday (June 2) for the expected verdict in the trial of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who faces charges of graft and complicity in the killing of protesters.
    Hundreds of police surrounded the court set up at a police academy on Cairo's outskirts, where protesters held images of those killed in the uprising and called for Mubarak's execution.
    While Mubarak could face the death penalty, few Egyptians expect he will go to the gallows, even if many think that is what he deserves.
    Mubarak's two sons are standing trial with their father, alongside his former interior minister and six other senior officers.
    The verdict could herald more political turmoil, but the judge could postpone it if he needs more time. An acquittal or a light sentence could send protesters back on the streets.
    Many are already angry that the hated police force, blamed for about 850 deaths in the uprising that toppled Mubarak last year, and other pillars of Mubarak's rule have survived his downfall intact.
    Egyptians reading the morning newspapers in Cairo said that Mubarak must be held to account for the crimes he is alleged to have committed.
    "They say there are 50,000 soldiers on duty there [at the court], and all we want in the end is justice. But what we are expecting today is that it might be delayed. We want this to finish so that the country can wake up again," said Ahmed Esha.
    Farhat Saad said that while he was not optimistic that true justice would be done and did not have faith in Egypt's judiciary, it was a historic occasion nonetheless.
    "No, this is a historic day. We never imagined in our entire lives that a day would come when we would see Hosni Mubarak in prison with our own eyes. This is something we never saw in 30 years. I was born in the 1960s, and he [Mubarak] was considered to be a Pharaoh, and totally untouchable. So this is a historic day, a day to be remembered," he said.
    The trial of Mubarak, his sons and former security officials, which began last August, has captivated the attention of Egyptians, who were stunned by the spectacle of the man who ruled the country for 30 years, confined to a cage in court.
    Mubarak himself has attended court sessions on a hospital gurney, as he is said to be suffering from undefined ailments.
    Prosecutors have complained throughout the trial that they have had difficulty gathering evidence due to a lack of cooperation from the security forces.
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