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Saturday, June 2, 2012, 10:26

Mubarak sentenced to life in prison

A judge sentenced former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to life in prison today after convicting him of involvement in the murder of protesters during the uprising that ousted him last year.

Also given a life term for the killings was 84-year-old former strongman's interior minister Habib al-Adly, while six former police commanders were acquitted.

Corruption charges against Mubarak's sons, Alaa and Gamal, were dropped due to the expiry of a statute of limitations, as the former president was acquitted in one of the graft cases.

Scuffles erupted soon after the verdicts were delivered and chants of "Void, void" and "The people want the judiciary purged" could be heard, as furious lawyers told AFP they feared Mubarak would be found innocent on appeal.

Mubarak, who wore dark sunglasses and a beige track-suit, had his arms folded and showed no emotion inside his caged dock, however, as Chief Judge Ahmed Refaat read out the verdict.

His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, looking tired with dark circles under their eyes, appeared close to tears on hearing the verdict.

Outside the courtroom, clashes broke following the sentencing, forcing police to use stun grenades to control the crowds.

Mubarak, the only autocrat toppled in the Arab Spring to be tried, Adly and the six others were facing charges over their involvement in ordering the deaths of some of the estimated 850 people killed.

The former strongman, his sons Alaa and Gamal and business associate Hussein Salem, who fled to Spain, were also on trial over an alleged bribe.

And the former president was also accused of selling natural gas to Israel at lower than market prices.

A security official said 5,000 policemen and 2,000 soldiers were deployed to secure the court, at the Police Academy on Cairo's outskirts, to which the ailing Mubarak was helicoptered in from a military hospital

Egypt has been ruled by the military since Mubarak was forced to resign on February 11 last year, after 18 days of nationwide protests.

Mubarak has been detained at a hospital in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh since his arrest last year, after the military appeared to bow to protester demands that he and former regime officials be put on trial.

But the military insists the prosecution's investigations and the charges eventually filed were independent judicial decisions.

However, critics say the investigations were hasty and sloppy, resulting in a trial based on patchwork evidence that may see Mubarak acquitted.

During the trial, Mubarak was wheeled into the lecture hall that serves as a courtroom on a stretcher. He reportedly suffers from a heart condition, but the health ministry has denied his lawyer's claim that he has cancer.

Along with Adly, Mubarak's co-defendants include six former police commanders.

They have all denied that they ordered police to shoot protesters or use deadly force during the uprising, in which demonstrators torched police stations across the country.

The verdict comes just two weeks before a run-off in presidential elections that will pit Mubarak's former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi in a highly polarising race.

It is the first openly contested presidential election in any of the Arab countries swept by regional protests and uprisings that challenged decades of autocratic rule.

But the revolt also led to a deteriorating economy and increased lawlessness in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, that has helped Shafiq, a symbol of Mubarak's regime, win a surprising amount of support.

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14 Comments

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Mark J. Magri

Jun 2nd 2012, 17:40

This is the very right justice and may the Maltese Courts follow suit.
GRANPINTO

Mr Edward Muscat

Jun 2nd 2012, 17:30

Throwing an 84-year old in prison is utterly ridiculous.

He might have been a dictator, but if I had to choose between him and the new leaders I would definitely choose to live under his tyranny. If you've never seen the pyramids, you probably never will. Sharia will destroy tourism in Egypt. Time will tell.

Kurt Waschnig

Jun 2nd 2012, 16:09

The former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison. He was found guilty of complicity in the killing of protesters during a popular uprising against his 30-year rule last year.

Mubarak who is 84 years old suffers from various diseases and he was wheeled into the courtroom where he received his sentence.

During the revolt against the dictatorial regime around 800 people lost their life. Judge Ahmed Refaat said that the 10-month trial had been a fair one.
The question is can a trial be really fair when a dictator is sued because of committing crimes against human rights?

I doubt strongly and cannot believe in any fairness but the fact is that for 30years Egyptians were ruled by a dictator and Egyptians never had a free media, an independent judiciary, independent trade unions or freedom of speech.
They were defence- and helpless exposed to a tyranny.

I remember the time when the revolution took place in Eastern Germany and East and West got united, people danced in the streets and kissed one another driven by joy and happiness.

Eastern Germany was governed by Erich Honecker from 1971 to 1989. The political authorities of Germany tried to sue him.
As the date set for Erich Honecker´s trial approached, in November 1992, there were almost daily reports of his impending end.
Many hoped that he would die before his trial. There was general relief when his trial was suspended because of his health and he was allowed to leave for Chile in 1993.

I mentioned that as an example how democracy works with an independent judiciary. Erich Honecker was terminally ill and it should go without saying that a ill person like Mubarak should not have been sentenced.
There is no doubt that he committed crimes against humanity but the judges should have considered his deteriorating health.

This would have been the way a constitutional state would have spoken.

Best regards

Kurt Waschnig Oldenburg Germany

e-mail: oldenburg1952@yahoo.de

Bill Khan

Jun 3rd 2012, 23:36

@ Kurt Waschnig

Osama Bin Laden was an ill man with severe kidney problems requring dialysis. You do not suggest he too should have escaped a trial. He was killed for his alleged crimes. Hosni Mubarak through out his rule courtesy the US/British alliance in the region, put hundreds of Egyptian men and women on the stretchers. Lucky ones were murdered. The argument that he is too old or ill to be sentenced is i think not being kind if not insulting to thousands of families, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives and children who lost their loved ones to a person who had no intention during his rule except to act on the instructions of his masters.
Mubarak did not allow relief to pass to the Palestinians in Gaza under attack by the israeli forces. There is something called the 'Karma' we all have to go through young old old healthy or ill.

MALCOLM SEYCHELL

Jun 2nd 2012, 16:06

Life in prison for what???

for giving a civilization to Egypt........

Now enjoy the islamists extremists in power

D Bonello

Jun 2nd 2012, 15:04

At least the Egyptians were more humane with their former leader then the Libyans who acted like animals when they caught Qaddafi!

William Caligari

Jun 2nd 2012, 13:16

Lanqas titwemmen li bniedem wara dawk is-snin kollha fil-poter jispicca hajtu hekk. Imma din hi
gustizzja sewwa. Meta tkun fil-glorja, tarax lil ta' tahtek dubbien, ghaliex ikunu dawn l-istess dubbien
li jiddiecidu ddestin tieghek, 20, 30, 40 sena wara tasal ukoll.Hadd wara Hadd tasal ta' kulhadd!!!!

Giovanni Rizzo

Jun 2nd 2012, 17:43

Hekk hu.

Karl Consiglio

Jun 2nd 2012, 13:00

I believe justice has been served, what more can one want?

Vincent Galea

Jun 2nd 2012, 11:33

May he while he is in prison still remembers that he is nothing but dust and ashes.

Melvyn Mifsud LLD

Jun 2nd 2012, 10:34

This is a lesson that alll politicians or people in power shouid learn, as soon as they venture out ino public or even private authority. Power has to be exercised with discretion, caution and within the parameters of the law.
This lesson must never be forgotten - at any stage. This lesson was established as far as the post Second World War era. By the Nuremberg trials.

One's actions could catch up with anyone ..and come back to haunt the same perpetrator of his abusive use of power.

M Mallia

Jun 2nd 2012, 14:28

His sons and police chiefs will not face any time in prison. They only got rid of an old man. No justice was done here. Expect for the situation to degenerate again.

P Sciberras

Jun 2nd 2012, 10:27

Alla and husein, on trial over alleged bribe? I expected these sons of a dictator will have the same treatment like the sons of Gaddafi. Whats next?

David Doublesin

Jun 2nd 2012, 15:46

Now that Mubarak has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of his involvement in the murder of protesters I hope that Assad will at least be convicted of doing the same.

Unfortunately with Russia and China on his side he will probably take the lives of many more thousands of innocent people before we see his end.

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Mubarak sentenced to life in prison

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