Egyptian activists who spearheaded the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak have called for mass demonstrations today to protest against verdicts handed down in the former president’s murder trial.
Today’s protest is to allow Egyptians to express their desire to protect the revolution and achieve its goals
Mr Mubarak and his interior minister Habib al-Adly were sentenced to life in prison on Saturday, but six security chiefs were acquitted over the killings of demonstrators during last year’s uprising that left some 850 people dead.
The ruling sparked nationwide outrage, with protesters taking to the streets in fury that no one had been found directly guilty of killing the protesters.
The lack of police accountability under Mr Mubarak was one of the main driving forces behind the uprising, and both activists and rights groups fear the acquittals will help sustain that culture of impunity.
The pro-democracy April 6 movement, the Coalition of Revolution Youth and the Maspero Youth Union among others called for a mass protest at the capital’s iconic Tahrir Square at 1500 GMT today. The runners-up in last month’s presidential election first round, leftist politician Hamdeen Sabbahi and moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, will lead separate marches to the central square, they said in statements.
They came third and fourth respectively in the May 23-24 election that has narrowed to a run-off later this month between Ahmed Shafiq – Mr Mubarak’s prime minister during the uprising – and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi. Pro-democracy movements have capitalised on Egyptian national anger, calling for a return to Tahrir to press for the goals of the revolution.
The powerful Muslim Brotherhood said in a statement that it would join the rallies.
The Islamist group’s participation “comes in response to popular demand,” it said, adding that protesters would call for the “retrial of the killers, the trial of Ahmed Shafiq and (ex-interior minister) Mahmud Wagdy and former intelligence and state security chiefs.”
Today’s protest will be “part of a series of events to (allow) all Egyptians to express their desire to protect the revolution and achieve its goals,” the Brotherhood said.
On Sunday, the state prosecutor said he would appeal against the Mubarak trial sentences, but a judicial source told AFP the process could take weeks.
Mr Mubarak’s defence team has also said it would challenge the ruling and said it was confident of winning on appeal. Five of the six acquitted security commanders were freed early yesterday.