Saturday 11 May 2013

Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's retrial starts


An image from Egyptian TV shows former President Hosni Mubarak raising his hand in courtThe retrial of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has begun at a court in Cairo.Mr Mubarak faces charges of complicity in the killings of protesters in the January 2011 uprising which overthrew him and of financial corruption.
Mr Mubarak was convicted in June 2012 but a retrial was ordered on appeal.
State TV, which is broadcasting the trial live, said he entered court sitting on a stretcher.
The retrial began amid a tense atmosphere and high emotions in court, as the judge urged lawyers to stop shouting, the BBC's Shaimaa Khalil reports.
The prosecutor then read out a list of charges against the accused.
The trial is being held at a police academy on the outskirts of the capital.
Mr Mubarak's first retrial collapsed in April amid chaotic scenes as the presiding judge referred the case to another court.
Judge Mustafa Hassan Abdullah said he was referring the trial to the Cairo appeals court as he felt "unease" in reviewing the case.
Mr Mubarak's former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six aides will also be retried on the charges relating to the killing of protesters in 2011. Mr Al-Adly will also be retried for corruption charges.
About 850 people were killed in the 2011 crackdown.
Both men successfully appealed against their convictions at Egypt's Court of Cassation, which cited procedural failings in the original trial.
Mr Mubarak's sons, Gamal and Alaa, will be retried on corruption charges for which they were acquitted in June 2012, because of the expiry of a statute of limitations.

Mubarak trial

  • Convicted in June 2012 of conspiring in the killing of protesters in 2011 and sentenced to life
  • Found not guilty in 2012 of abusing power to amass wealth
  • Appeal against his conviction upheld in January 2013
The former president was also found not guilty of corruption.
Mr Mubarak's first trial, at which he also appeared on a stretcher, lasted 10 months.
The legal proceedings have been a long and frustrating two years for the legal teams and for the families of those killed in the uprising, our correspondent reports.
One woman Umm Moaz, whose son was killed in the uprising, told the AFP agency that she had no trust in the court.
"I have no hope that they will ensure justice for my son or any martyr. My whole life has been turned upside down," she said.
There has not been as much public interest in the retrial, in contrast with the large crowds outside his court at the time of the first trial, our correspondent adds.
Last month Mr Mubarak was transferred from a military hospital to prison after Egypt's public prosecutor deemed his health was no longer in danger.

source:bbcnews

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