Egyptian courts have heard cases against ousted presidentHosni Mubarakand leaders of theMuslim Brotherhoodin parallel trial sessions.The cases relate to killings during the 2011 and 2013 protest campaigns that led to their respective downfalls.
In eastern Cairo, Mubarak looked relaxed in dark sunglasses and a white jumpsuit in his first court appearance since he was released from prison last week and transferred to a military hospital.
The 85-year-old ex-president, whose lawyer has claimed has been on the verge of death, sat in a wheelchair next to his two sons, who are being tried in a separate corruption-related case.
Mubarak has been in detention since April 2011, two months after he was deposed in an uprising against his rule. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison last year for failing to stop the deaths of about 900 protesters during the 18-day uprising, but his sentence was overturned on appeal. In April, his retrial opened along with those of his security chief and six police commanders.
The court trying Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and five other members of the Islamist group postponed hearings until 29 October. The defendants, two of whom are still in hiding and being tried in absentia, are accused in relation to clashes outside the Brotherhood's Cairo headquarters on 30 June that left nine dead.
The four men in detention were not present in the Cairo courtroom for security reasons. They were arrested over the last month as part of a massive crackdown on the Brotherhood following the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the group, and related violence.
The six Brotherhood members, including Badie and his deputies, Khairat el-Shater and Rashad Bayoumi, are charged with instigating the killings of nine protesters on 30 June, when millions took to the streets demanding the removal of Morsi.
The killings took place near the Brotherhood's east Cairo headquarters, which was attacked by an allegedly anti-Morsi crowd. Dozens of Brotherhood members were trapped inside the building for hours and it was eventually set on fire. The group said the police encouraged "thugs" to attack the building while security officials at the time said that the group placed snipers on top of the building.
The military toppled Morsi three days later, then launched a massive crackdown on the Islamist movement, arresting leaders including el-Shater and Bayoumi, rounding up field organisers and shutting down Islamic TV networks.
On 14 August, riot police backed by armoured vehicles and bulldozers moved to clear two sprawling encampments of Morsi's supporters, sparking violence that left more than 1,000 people dead across the country. The interim presidency declared a month-long state of emergency. Badie and hundreds others were arrested in the aftermath.
Meanwhile, the military-backed interim government is pursuing a fast-tract transition plan that it says will return the country to democracy.
On Sunday, a 10-member panel of experts is due to hand a first draft of constitutional amendments to the interim presidency, a first step toward amending the charter drafted last year under Morsi, now suspended. A second panel of 50 members will work on the amendments before finalising them and putting them up for public vote.
Once the constitution is adopted, the plan envisions presidential and parliamentary elections to be held by early next year.
By The Guardian
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