Murbarak show trial to begin this week.....

[Christians4LessGvt]

Mubarak trial opens Wednesday.
Corruption charges will involve Israel

DEBKAfile Special Report

August 2, 2011


Iron cage built for Hosni Mubarak in Cairo court

The Egyptian people will have their first glimpse of their former president Hosni Mubarak since his overthrow on Feb. 11 and retirement to Sharm el-Sheikh when he goes on trial Wednesday, Aug. 3 before television cameras with his two sons, Alaa and Gamal. With him wil be the former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli and six other senior officers.

The charges against the ex-president of killing demonstrators during the uprising that ousted him and abuse of power to amass wealth carry sentences ranging from five years in jail to the death penalty. His sons face lesser charges and prison.

After spending seven months at the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the public will see their former president and his sons in a special cage built for the trial. Judge Ahmed Refaat decided the proceedings should be aired live by state television, because, he said, "I believe in the right of the people" to see justice done.

Prominent businessman Hussein Salem will be tried in absentia. He was arrested on an international warrant and is currently hospitalized in Spain. Former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli is one of Egypt's most hated figures for the brutal methods his police force used to crush opposition, notably in the early days of the uprising on Jan. 25.

The 83-year old ailing former Egyptian president, accompanied by a full team of doctors and paramedics equipped with life support gear, is to be flown around dawn on Wednesday morning from the Red Sea resort to the Police Academy in New Cairo ahead of his trial. Hundreds of officers are securing Mubarak's transfer.

Despite his failing health, the military rulers of Egypt are determined to stage the trial in order to appease the al-Tahrir Square protesters who still don't believe Mubarak's old comrades will go through with the promised reforms or bring the ex-president, a former air force chief, to justice.

One of the three main charges against Mubarak, his sons and Salem is that they exported gas to Israel for prices below the market rateand shared out the difference between them. The trial may be expected to occasion anti-Israel outbursts and further sour relations between Jerusalem and Cairo. It is not by chance that the Sinai pipeline carrying Egyptian gas to Israel was sabotaged five times since the revolution, the last time just before the Mubarak trial.

Up until the last minute, it was not clear whether the former president would be permitted to make a dignified appearance in court,he routinely touched up his hair and used makeup before appearing in public, or be humbled by being forced to appear as an ageing, sick, unshaven wreck.

Mubarak was treated for cancer before his ouster and has since suffered several heart attacks. A bed was installed in the cage surrounding the dock in case of his collapse.

According to some Arab sources, the military junta will not keep Mubarak present at all the court sessions but place him there from time to time. After the trial opens, he will be said to have collapsed and allowed to reappear when it suits the military rulers in consultation with his medical attendants.

The 25 generals of the military junta will decide how best to show the former president in public in accordance with their interests, whether the hale and hearty former war hero or a sorry spectacle.

They are using the trial to serve two objectives:

1. Distract popular attention from the breakdown of law and order and an economy going to wrack and ruin since they took charge of government in Cairo.

2. Give the public a show trial to keep them unaware of how slowly and selectively they are allowing the political reforms they promised to go forward. Our sources report that the trappings of democracy such as parliamentary elections and freedom of the press will eventually be instituted, with one important caveat: The generals will stay in power. The new constitution in preparation will guarantee the military rulers the last word in all important state matters, with the power to veto new laws.

The two Arab rulers who will watch the TV broadcasts from Cairo most intently are Muammar Qaddafi of Libya and Bashar Assad of Syria. The sight of Hosni Mubarak in a cage will strengthen their resolve never to let themselves be forced out of power.

Saudi King Abdullah will be another interested spectator. He blames US President Barack Obama as chiefly responsible for the wretched downfall of his good friend and ally Hosni Mubarak and will not forgive him in a hurry.

[Xavier_Onassis]

The Egyptian economy has gone to Hell because tourists are no longer coming as they once did. Egypt has some industry and agriculture, but tourism was a large part of foreign exchange.

There is probably no really good reason to put Mubarak in a cage. He is a feeble 83 year old man. He is probably guilty of all sorts of evil stuff, but mostly because of orders carried out by others.

[Christians4LessGvt]

I wonder if the Muslim Brotherhood will be good tourist hosts?
Mubarak should have flown the coop....
The Saudi's may have allowed him to come there to die.
If not...with his mooolah he could have gone somewhere
to live out what little time he has left.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Mubarak was a fool to not leave when he had the chance. I suppose he was simply deluded about how how his brother army officers would throw him to the wolves.

Egypt will need to be an orderly place without undue demonstrations or repression to maintain a profitable tourist industry, as the tourists are nearly all from Europe and Israel.

 The Muslim Brotherhood claims it is not interested in dominating the country.

They could still have influence without running the country.

[Henny]

The two Arab rulers who will watch the TV broadcasts from Cairo most intently are Muammar Qaddafi of Libya and Bashar Assad of Syria. The sight of Hosni Mubarak in a cage will strengthen their resolve never to let themselves be forced out of power.

Compared to Assad and Qaddafi, Mubarak now (in retrospect) seems to be the nicest dictator ever.

We all know that Qaddafi is insane. But Assad is evil. I'm sure everyone here has heard about the mass slaughter on the night before and first day of Ramadan. Against unarmed civilians. He wouldn't even deserve a trial.

[Christians4LessGvt]

Compared to Assad and Qaddafi, Mubarak now (in retrospect) seems to be the nicest dictator ever.

So true Miss Henny!

Mubarak leads defendants in
pleading not guilty to all charges

DEBKAfile Special Report

August 3, 2011, 12:24 PM (GMT+02:00)


Mubarak goes on trial in an iron cage

The Egyptian people had their first sight of former president Hosni Mubarak, 83, since his overthrow on Feb. 11 lying on a stretcher facing trial Aug. 3 in an iron cage with his sons,
Gemal and Alla, and seven police officials, including former interior minister Habib al-Adli. 

The Middle East found that image even more stunning than the sight of Saddam Hussein at his 2004 trial. Judge Ahmed Rifaat opened the televised session in the electrically charged Cairo
Police Academy courtroom.The charges against the ex-president of killing 800 protesters and abuse of power to amass wealth could carry the death penalty.

All the defendants led by Hosni Mubarak and his sons pleaded not guilty and denied all the accusations and charges put to them in court.

Although ailing, the 83 year old former president was soon on TV screens around the world to be fully conscious and taking a lively interest in the proceedings, now and again exchanging comments with his sons. His wife Susan was absent.

As the military regime intended, the Egyptian people were treated to the sight of their ruler of 30 years in prison uniform lying on a hospital bed in a cage on trial for his life before a civilian court.
A large screen was posted outside the courtroom which was secured by 5,000 police and security officers. More than 600 spectators packed the seats inside. Dozens of lawyers jostled each other for the microphone for a stream of arguments on points of order and demands to separate the cases instead of a collective trial.

The first defendant was Al-Hadli. His counsel claimed his client did not give the order to fire on protesters and demanded police generals be called to testify. Police earlier broke up violent clashes outside the courtroom between pro- and anti-Mubarak demonstrators.

[Xavier_Onassis]

It is hard to feel sorry for Mubarak and Co. being locked in a cage, since that was how he carried out trials as well.

I don't think I'll have too much sympathy for him.

Egyptians are apparently rather cruel in their legal system, but it is their country.

Assad and his father were worse than Mubarak, and so was Qaddaffi, I can agree with that.

[Henny]

It is hard to feel sorry for Mubarak and Co. being locked in a cage, since that was how he carried out trials as well.

I don't think I'll have too much sympathy for him.

Egyptians are apparently rather cruel in their legal system, but it is their country.

Assad and his father were worse than Mubarak, and so was Qaddaffi, I can agree with that.

Although I expressed all of these opinions today at the office during the trial (everyone gathered around a computer to watch a stream of it) and got the following responses:

1) The cage thing is normal because there is a tendency for Egyptian defendant to cause a scene, run out of court, or attack others in the courtroom - and to be attacked by observers. (Wow?)

2) The army asserts that Mubarak gave an order to them to turn against the people and the only reason it wasn't worse is because they wouldn't.

Still. He did step down way early in comparison. And he could have run (certainly wishes he had).

[Henny]

Mubarak's Trial Begins in Egypt

Video in English here: http://www.youtube.com/v/o2BL_sEsVZM&hl=en_US (didn't there used to be a way to embed these?)

The long-awaited trial of Hosni Mubarak has started in Cairo, with the former Egyptian president appearing in court with his sons Alaa and Gamal, and hated former Interior Minister, Habib al-Adly.

It had been feared that Mubarak?s trial would be delayed, especially with pressure coming from Gulf states who are worried about the consequences of a former Arab leader being so humiliated. The ruling military council themselves are generally seen to prefer to not put Mubarak on trial, Tantawi and his men fearing the revelations that may come out in the trial.

However, it seems that the will of the people was too great to ignore, and on the 3rd of August 2011 the Arab world saw its first dictator put on trial by his own people.

In true Ramadan style, the Egyptians put on a great show.

Hosni Mubarak entered the court room on a hospital bed, helpfully referred to by the Egyptian state television pundit as a ?trolley?. He picked his nose. The judge, lawyers, public gallery and the media all screamed at each other. Mubarak?s defence lawyer asked for permission to bring over 1000 witnesses, a delaying tactic previously used by such luminaries as Slobadan Milosevic.

Another lawyer said that Hosni Mubarak had in fact died in 2004, and that the man in the courtroom was in fact a clone, demanding that the court sanction DNA tests. He probably missed the finer details of the science of cloning. You could not make it up.

However, despite the farce, this is a great step forward. Yes, there are still many, many problems, and the Egyptian revolution is far from over, but seeing Hosni Mubarak put on trial has been met with great joy by the average Egyptian.

Seeing Mubarak, along with his sons and his crony, in that black cage, acknowledging their presence in the court, was a truly historic moment. Egyptians were glued to their TV sets, and so was the rest of the Arab world ? wondering, maybe, it was their dictator?s turn next.

http://www.kabobfest.com/2011/08/mubarak-trial-starts-egypt.html

[Christians4LessGvt]

He picked his nose.

Sick!

[Henny]

He picked his nose.

Sick!

Sick indeed! And the cloning thing is still making me laugh. WTF? I checked that on some other sites and sure enough, it seems the accusation was made in the courtroom. What a circus.

[Xavier_Onassis]

You can pick your friends. You can pick your nose. But you had better not pick your friend's noses.

[Plane]

Egypt has been using that cage idea for a while.

Even with the bars this is a time to speak to the sympathetic, has Mubaric still got fans?