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(Image Source: Flickr / Mosa-aberising)
BY ALEX MALLIN
The judge presiding over the prosecution of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has
removed himself from proceedings, resulting in controversy in the already unstable nation.
“Opponents of the 84-year-old former president called for him to face the death sentence
after Judge Mustafa Assan Abdullah walked out of court moments after the trial began." (Via
Sky News)
Abdullah reportedly removed himself from the case for what he called the result of a medical
condition. (Via Al Arabiya)
Mubarak was wheeled into the trial on a stretcher straight from a military hospital.
He was convicted along with former Egyptian interior Minister Habib Al-Adly back in 2011
on corruption charges over the deaths of protesters that resulted in the toppling of Mubarak’s
regime. (Via The Daily Beast)
Protestors outside the courthouse erupted with angry chants calling for justice for
the 800 people who died in 2011, which they say Mubarak should be held accountable for.
(Via The Premium Times)
Mubarak and Al-Adly were supposed to be undergoing a retrial for the deaths after they appealed
their initial 2012 conviction. (Via RT)
“The trial is open for all possible penalties, so it can be complete on his innocence or
they might sentence him to death, or life again.”(Via Al Jazeera)
Eighty-four-year-old Mubarak has been staying in a Cairo hospital and some reports have
listed him in a near-death condition, but his actions in court indicate otherwise. (Via
Atlantic Wire)
“Inside the courts, he was laughing and waving at supporters and looked a different
man to the man we saw in the first trial. Perhaps it was because he knew something we
didn't. “ (Via BBC)
The trial comes after an investigation leak that directly implicates Mubarak to the killing,
torture, and disappearances of protesters during the uprising that removed him.
The investigation was commissioned by current president Mohamed Morsi, who is currently
managing bigger problems in Egypt with its suffering economy and protests over police
abuse. (Via Jerusalem Post)
So what’s next for Mubarak?
The court has 60 days to replace Judge Abdullah, but it has Mubarak’s opponents concerned
he will be pronounced innocent. (Via Al Bawaba)
“The judge must hear god, we want these young men redeemed. Those who killed them
can’t be just left off the hook." (Via Al Jazeera)
The trial is causing division within Egypt’s government, with some calling the accusations
against Mubarak and Al-Adly a betrayal.