Egypt court jails Mubarak for life :- 3.6.12-TOI

Thousands Take To Streets To Protest Verdict, Demand Execution For Ex-Dictator

Cairo: Hosni Mubarak, toppled by an uprising last year after 30 years ruling Egypt, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Saturday for his role in killing protesters after a trial that sets a precedent for holding Middle East autocrats to account.
    But it was not enough for thousands of Egyptians who poured onto the streets after the verdict. Some wanted Mubarak executed, others feared the judge’s ruling exposed weaknesses in the case that could let the former military strongman off on appeal.
    Protesters gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, focus for the uprising that drove Mubarak, now 84, from office on Feb 11, 2011. Others in the second city of Alexandria chanted: “We are done with talk, we want an execution!”
    The ruling came at a politically fraught time for Egypt, two weeks before a run-off in its first free presidential poll that will pit the Muslim Brotherhood, banned under Mubarak, against the deposed autocrat’s last prime minister.
    Mubarak was wheeled into a courtroom cage on a hospital stretcher to join co-defendants including his two sons Alaa and Gamal, former interior minister Habib al-Adli and six security officials.
    “The court has ordered a punishment for Hosni Mubarak of life in jail based on charges of participating in crimes of killing and attempted killing,” judge Ahmed Refaat told the hushed courtroom.
    Propped up on the hospital stretcher and wearing sunglasses, Mubarak heard the verdict stony-faced. He was acquitted on a separate corruption charge. Refaat sentenced Adli to life in prison but acquitted the senior security officials for lack of evidence.
    Businessman and Mubarak ally Hussein Salem, being tried in absentia, was acquitted of corruption charges.
    After a silence during sentencing, scuffles broke out inside the court between security officers and people chanting “Void, void” and “the people want the cleansing of the judiciary”. It was the first time an ousted Arab leader had faced an ordinary court in person since a wave of uprisings shook the Arab world last year. Rather than a healing experience that many Egyptians wanted, many saw the trial as showing how much of Mubarak’s old order was still in place.
    Islamists and others called for protests on Saturday. But some Egyptians said Mubarak’s sentencing was enough, even if they were unhappy that security officials were off the hook. “I think the verdict on Mubarak is fair, he is 84 and a life in prison verdict is a hard one, as it means he will certainly spend all his remaining years in jail,” said Ahmed Raouf, 30, who works at a private Cairo computer firm. REUTERS
Ex-prez’s sons to remain in prison
    The sons of jailed former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak — Alaa and Gamal Mubarak — will remain in provisional detention over illicit gain charges, assistant prosecutor general counselor Adel el-Saeed said. The sons, along with seven other persons, will remain in provisional detention pending their trial for illegally obtaining around 2.51 billion Egyptian pounds from the sale of the National Bank of Egypt (NBE), a statement by Saeed said. PTI
Rights groups not happy with verdict
    The acquittal of six security chiefs, on trial with Hosni Mubarak over the killing of protesters last year, fails to deliver justice and could continue to encourage a culture of police impunity, rights groups said on Saturday. Mubarak’s sentence “is a significant step towards combating long-standing impunity in Egypt” but the security chiefs’ acquittal “leaves many still waiting for full justice”, Amnesty International said in a statement. AFP
SUMMER OF THE ARAB SPRING
Oct 6, 1981 | Hosni Mubarak takes over as Egypt’s president after Anwar Sadat is assassinated Oct 5, 1987 | Elected for a second term as president in an unopposed referendum Oct. 1993 | He is re-elected for a third term June 26, 1995 | Narrow escape for Mubarak as gunmen attack his car in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 2005 | Protests break out in Egypt over Hosni’s fifth term as president Sept 27, 2005 | He is re-elected for 5th term Nov 19, 2006 | Announces he will stay president for the rest of his life Jan 25, 2011 | Egyptians on streets to protest against Mubarak’s 30-year rule Feb 1, 2011 | Says he will not seek re-election Feb 11, 2011 | Mubarak steps down April 13, 2011 | Arrest of Mubarak and his sons Aug 3, 2011 | Hosni’s trial begins June 2, 2012 | Sentenced to life in jail

    TheArab spring, that began with Tunisian dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s removal after 23 years in power in Jan 2011, sparked a wave of street protests across the region. A look at the fate of other dictators in the region since the Tunisian uprising

MUAMMAR GADDAFI | LIBYA
    Killed outside his hometown of Sirte after being on the run since rebels captured Tripoli in August 2011. In power since 1969, only dictator to have been killed since Arab Spring

ALI ABDULLAH SALEH | YEMEN
    Signed an agreement in November 2011 transferring power to vice-president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, following months of violent street protests for his ouster, ending his 33-year rule

BASHAR HAFEZ AL-ASSAD | SYRIA
    Remains in power despite protests against his govt since March 2011. Has used force to crush the unrest, killing more than 8,000 people & detaining and displacing thousands. President since 2000, succeeding his father Hafez al-Assad who ruled for more than 25 years

HAMAD BIN ISA AL-KHALIFA | BAHRAIN
    Remains in power despite protests inspired by revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. King since 2002, has backed a crackdown killing more than 30 demonstrators at Pearl Square in Manama. Summoned troops from Saudi Arabia to crush uprising