Egypt's top military rulers to testify in Mubarak's trial

[News_Editor]

Egypt's top military rulers to testify in Mubarak's trial

2011-09-08 05:19:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO (BNO NEWS) -- An Egyptian court on Wednesday summoned top military rulers to testify at the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Al-Ahram state-owned newspaper reported.

The court agreed to summon Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council for the Armed Forces, to give testimony in a closed session of Mubarak's trial on Sunday. Other high-ranking officials, including the former and current interior ministers and the former vice president, will testify in court in closed sessions where the media will not be allowed.

The court's decision to summon high-ranking generals could be seen as a significant step forward since many observers were not satisfied with the direction the trial was taking. In addition, lawyers have been asking for the testimony of Tantawi, who served as defense minister for two decades under Mubarak, and former vice president and intelligence chief General Omar Suleiman, who said that Mubarak was aware of every bullet fired during the revolution.

Presiding judge Ahmed Refaat said Mubarak will return to court on Thursday for the fifth session of his trial which will now be held on a daily basis, according to the newspaper. The trial, which opened on August 3, resumed on Monday after being adjourned.

During the session, the judge released Central Security Captain Mohamed Abdel Hakim Amar who was detained earlier in the session on charges of "false testimony in favor of the accused". Other witnesses also denied previous testimonies where they said that police used live ammunition during the initial days of the revolution.

Wednesday's session was more organized than previous sessions, especially the last one on Monday were victims' lawyers insisted on fighting with each other on who will speak first. About 20 people were also arrested and tens were injured when fierce clashes broke out outside the courtroom. No clashes were reported on Wednesday.

Mubarak, his two sons Alaa and Gamal, former Interior Minister Habib Ibrahim al-Adly and six other former senior officials face charges over the deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters during the 18-day uprising, which toppled Egypt's 30-year ruler.

According to Amnesty International, at least 840 people were killed and over 6,000 people were injured in the violent repression. During the trial's first session, Mubarak pleaded not guilty to charges of ordering the killing of anti-government protesters and abusing his powers.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-09-08