Hospital for Mubarak as case pauses

Aug 3 2011

The trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been adjourned and he will be held at a military hospital near Cairo until it resumes in 12 days.

The order by the judge includes him being supervised by an oncologist and is one of the strongest indications yet that 83-year-old Mubarak has cancer after months of unconfirmed reports.

Mubarak attended the opening session of the trial lying in a hospital bed, placed inside a steel cage.

The judge said that his trial on charges of complicity in killing protesters and corruption will continue on August 15, while the court will continue on Thursday hearing the case of his co-defendants, former interior minister Habib el-Adly, and six top security officials.

The spectacle of Hosni Mubarak in a caged court dock, aired live on state television, proved to be a stunning moment for Egyptians.

Many savoured the humiliation of the man who ruled with unquestionable power for 29 years, during which opponents were tortured, corruption was rife, poverty worsened and political life was stifled.

Ghada Ali, the mother of a 17-year old girl in the city of Alexandria who was shot dead during the crackdown, said: "This is the dream of Egyptians, to see him like this, humiliated like he humiliated them for the last 30 years. I want to see their heart explode like my daughter's heart exploded from their single bullet," she said.

After widespread scepticism that Egypt's military rulers would allow one of their own - a former head of the air force - to be prosecuted in front of the world, the scene went a long way to satisfy one of the key demands that has united protesters since February 11, when Mubarak fell following an 18-day uprising.

It was the first time Egyptians have seen Mubarak since February 10, when he gave a defiant TV address refusing to resign. Outside the court, there were scuffles between pro and anti-Mubarak protesters.

In the courtroom, a prosecutor read the charges against Mubarak - that he was an accomplice along with this then-interior minister in the "intentional and premeditated murder of peaceful protesters" and that he and his sons received gifts from a prominent businessman in return for guaranteeing him a lowered price in a land deal with the state. Mubarak and his sons deny all charges.