Prosecution Demands Mubarak, Aides Be Hanged

Mubarak Being Brought to Court House

Prosecution in the case of ousted president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak said on Wednesday that former president, his security chief and six top police officers instigated the troops to shoot about 800 people during the Egyptian revolution last January. Mubarak and his former subordinates are being accused of complicity in the killings during the revolution and could face death penalty, if convicted.

Chief prosecutor on Wednesday said that the defendants clearly ordered the use of live ammunition against the people in Tahrir Square and in the other places where they were protesting. Prosecution complained that the prosecution office had to interrogate hundreds of witnesses, police officers or physicians to build their case, as the security authorities refused to cooperate.

Prosecution said that the decision was made on the night of January 27, before the day dubbed as “Friday of Rage,” when the army troops were deployed in Cairo and in other major cities of the country.

According to prosecution’s report, the plan was to kill enough people to cause the others to disperse and go home. The court was told that armed with automatic riffles, the special police forces aimed at heads, chests and eyes of the protesters.

TV recordings were used to show police forces loading their weapons, and fire engine trucks chasing people and running them over. There is no explanation yet for the disappearance of the security troops from the Tahrir Square on January 28.

The prosecutors pointed at the eight former officials in the cage in court as the instigators and added they had prove that they used “thugs” to attack the people in the square.

The trial of the former president began last year with displaying Mubarak on a garnet in a cage in the courtroom. The scene was considered by many a symbolic display of the deposed powerful man, and drew the appreciation of many Egyptians but also the indignation of others.

When Mubarak appeared the second time in court the judge ordered the media to turn off their cameras so that he be no longer humiliated. By then, the decision was futile, since every one had seen him in cage.

The next session saw police officers changing their testimonies and trying to cover for the former president. Then some were held in contempt of court and in the end the testimony of field marshal Hussein Tantawi, former collaborator of the regime and current chief of the military council in power, threw the case off track as the prosecution demanded the change of the presiding judge, which did not allow the cross-examination of the military leader.

The trial was resumed earlier this week, with the demand to change the judge rejected. The allegations made by the prosecution about instigating the people to shoot with live ammunition come as the people of Egypt complete their voting in the first free elections held since Egypt became independent.

The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be favored by the people and to have one a comfortable majority in the new parliament. They are suspected to have come to some understanding with the military regime, and there is fear that this understanding would lead to restricting the democratic reforms.

The Brotherhood did not participate in the rallies staged in the run-ups of the election, in November, and said that they trusted the democratic process rather than the street protest. Military is said to want to organize presidential elections in June.

Earlier this week the Muslim Brotherhood announced that the relations with Israel, which have been very good during the Mubarak era, should be put to referendum, so that the people may express whether they wanted to support the Jewish state or not.

Update: The prosecution demanded on Thursday that the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak be hanged along with the former chief of security and the six police officers. One of the prosecutors said that the punishment would be what the people was waiting for.