Hosni Mubarak sentenced to life in prison
Court jails ex-Egyptian president for his part in the deaths of protesters
during uprising last
*
* Conal Urquhart and agencies
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 2 June 2012 05.56 EDT
Hosni Mubarak's sentencing causes scuffles in court. Link to this video
Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced to life in prison
after a court convicted him on
charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during last year's
uprising that forced him from power.
Habib el-Adly, Mubarak's
minister of the interior, was also jailed for life but Mubarak's sons
Gamal and Alaa were cleared of corruption.
People at the court in
Cairo reacted with pleasure at the first sentences and then angrily to
the acquittal of Mubarak's sons and six interior ministry officials and
police chiefs. The crowd chanted, "False judgements. The people want to clean
the judicial system," and fights broke out inside and stones were thrown at
riot police outside the court.Hear the Guardian's Jack Shenker at the trial in
Cairo. Link to this audio
Mubarak, 84, the first Arab leader to be tried in his own
country, remained silent inside a court cage while his once-powerful
sons appeared nervous and had dark circles under their eyes. His elder
son Alaa whispered verses from the Qur'an.
In sentencing, Judge
Ahmed Rifaat Rifaat described Mubarak's era as "30 years of darkness"
and "a darkened nightmare" that ended only when Egyptians rose up to
demand change. "They peacefully demanded democracy from rulers who held
tight grip on power," he said.
Rifaat, who was presiding over his
last court session before he retires, said Mubarak and Adly did not act
to stop the killings during 18 days of mass protests that were met by a
deadly crackdown of security forces on unarmed demonstrators. More than
850 protesters were killed in Cairo and other major cities.
Egyptian TV reported that Mubarak would be transferred from the hospital suite
where he has been detained to Torah prison in south Cairo but he may
have the right to appeal.
It is unlikely the judge's verdict will
put an end to uncertainty and instability in Egypt. Within minutes of
the verdict, young men were pulling barricades on to Tahrir Square. The
verdict could damage the chance of Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's former prime
minister, in the second round of the presidential election on 16-17 June when
he runs against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi.
Outside there were celebrations, with many chanting "God is greatest". Soha
Saeed, the wife of one of those killed in the uprising that toppled
Mubarak on 11 February 2011, shouted: "I'm so happy. I'm so happy."
As the news of the sentence initially came through to hundreds of
protesters and relatives of victims outside the court compound,
jubilation erupted with dozens of anti-Mubarak protesters jumping up and down
and waving Egyptian flags and their fists in the air.
Scuffles then between Mubarak supporters and opponents broke out inside and
outside the courtroom after the verdict was read, reflecting the deep
polarisation of the country after more than a year of turmoil. Helmeted
riot police also clashed with protesters.
"The people want to
cleanse the judiciary," lawyers chanted inside the courtroom after the
verdict. Some raised banners that read, "God's verdict is execution."
Rock throwing and fighting left at least 20 people injured, and a police
official said that four people were arrested. Thousands of riot police
and policemen riding horses had cordoned off the building to prevent
protesters and relatives of those slain during the uprising from getting too
close. Hundreds stood outside, waving Egyptian flags and chanting
slogans demanding "retribution." Some spread Mubarak's picture on the
ground and walked over it.
The Muslim Brotherhood issued an immediate statement after the verdict, calling
for a retrial. "The
public prosecutor did not carry out its full duty in gathering adequate
evidence to convict the accused for killing protesters," said Yasser
Ali, official spokesman for the Mohamed Morsi campaign.
Security
officials said Mubarak resisted leaving the helicopter after arriving at Torah
prison in southern Cairo and it took escorts 30 minutes to
persuade him to leave the aircraft and enter the prison's hospital.
It is the first time Mubarak has been held in a prison since he was
detained. During his trial, Mubarak was held in a presidential suite in a
hospital on the outskirts of Cairo. Doctors treating him have said he
is weak and has lost weight from refusing to eat. They have also said he
suffers from severe depression.
Video and story at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/02/hosni-mubarak-sentenced-life-prison?newsfeed=true
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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