Mubarak on trial: Egypt, Syria, Libya and Middle East live updates

The former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, is back in court today to face charges of corruption and unlawful killing of protesters. Plus updates from the rest of the Middle East, including Syria and Libya اقرا باللغة العربية 9.42am: Judge Ahmed Refaat has entered the courtroom in Cairo. He began by asking the defendants to confirm their presence, including the Mubaraks, all three of whom answered: “I am present.” 9.36am: A quick update from Syria , while we wait for proceedings to begin at at the Mubarak trial in Egypt. Activists and residents are reporting a fresh outbreak of heavy gunfire in parts of the Syrian port city of Latakia where military operations are now in their third day, the Associated Press reports: The activists say loud explosions and gunfire have been heard throughout the night and early Monday in Latakia’s al-Ramel district and nearby areas as residents continue to flee. Activist groups said that at least 25 people died in operations in the Mediterranean city on Sunday when gunboats joined ground troops to crush the uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime. Activists on Monday also say troops backed by tanks entered the town of Houla, near flashpoint central city of Homs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the military is carrying out raids and arrests there. Al Jazeera’s Nisreen El-Shamayleh, reporting from Ramtha on the Syria-Jordan border, also has details of the assault on Latakia : We understand from the local coordinating committee that around 6am local time [4am BST] some women and children in the al-Ramel neighborhood were trying to flee to the nearby neighborhood of al Tamra. Syrian forces verbally allowed them to pass through, but then opened fire on the families. One man was killed and several women and children were injured. We also understand additional military reinforcement has been deployed around al-Ramel neighborhood, which is forcing many residents to try to free. 9.23am: The court is now in session. Mubarak has been wheeled into the cage which serves as the dock in Egyptian courts. His sons Gamal and Alaa are also in the dock. _ 9.13am: The former Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak, has just been wheeled into court on a hospital trolley. Al-Jazeera’s Evan Hill just tweeted this, suggesting the arrival of the former Egyptian president is imminent: Mubarak’s heavily guarded ambulance appears to be approaching the court house for day two of #mubaraktrial. 9.00am: Mohamed El Dahshan, reporting from Cairo for the Guardian, says the main questions being asked in relation to the trial of the former Egyptian president are: Will Mubarak attend? His chief lawyer, Fareed El Deeb, declared yesterday morning that he would, but that there was no guarantee a last minute “medical emergency” wouldn’t prevent him. Will he be on a stretcher as he was on 3 August? Will he be speaking or answering any potential questions from the judge? A section of the courtroom (itself a university lecture hall) has been partitioned off for Mubarak’s family. Right now there are policemen in plain clothes sitting there, but we’re waiting to see whether former first lady Suzanne Mubarak will attend. 8.46am: There are reports of clashes between supporters and opponents of Mubarak outside the courtroom with people throwing stones at each other, as they did when the former Egyptian dictator made his first appearance in court. This picture shows people standing beside a pile of rocks. And al-Jazeera Arabic’s crew have reportedly been attacked by pro-Mubarak protesters . 8.38am: If Muhammad Tantawi, the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian forces and de facto acting head of state, is called as witness in the Mubarak trial, his testimony could be key to either incriminating or exonerating the former Egyptian president, lawyers believe. Tantawi was Mubarak’s defence minister. One member of the defence team, who asked not to be named, told Reuters: Tantawi’s testimony would help the court determine whether Mubarak gave orders to interior minister Habib al-Adli to fire at protesters or whether Adli was acting independently …It is important for the court to meet the requests of the defence team, especially the request to hear the accounts of Field Marshal Tantawi in court to determine whether Mubarak asked him to confront and fire at protesters or not. Another lawyer handling the case said: The defence team sees Tantawi as a compurgator, or a witness whose testimony would exonerate Mubarak. The plaintiffs’ lawyers, however, expect him to testify that he received orders to fire, which is necessary to convict Mubarak. Judge Ahmed Refaat is expected to rule today on whether Tantawi should be called as a witness. 8.05am: People outside the courthouse in the Egyptian capital where Mubarak will appear are chanting, pressing for a quick trial – the former dictator’s lawyers seems to be trying to stretch out the legal process by asking for some 1,600 witnesses to be called – and waving shoes in the air, says al-Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh . But she says there are also pro-Mubarak supporters with t-shirts, reading: I’m Egyptian, I refuse the humiliation of the nation’s leader. The first time Mubarak appeared in court there were running battles between people supporting the former president and anti-Mubarak factions but this time it seems that security has been beefed up. A picture appears to show that extra efforts have been made to separate them . 7.55am: While Mubarak’s trial has been a positive development for Egyptians who fear that too little has changed since the country’s revolution there was worrying news on Sunday when a prominent activist was arrested and charged with slandering and inciting violence against the country’s ruling generals through social networking sites, according to lawyers. Lawyer Ali Atef said the case of Asmaa Mahfouz, one of the faces of Egypt’s revolution , was “a warning” to other activists against criticizing the military. He said: It was a terrifying (interrogation) session. When people are slapped with these charges because they expressed their opinion, this is grave. It is a warning aimed at all activists, bloggers and ordinary people. Mahfouz was released Sunday on bail after more than four hours of interrogation. Atef said activists collected money to pay the bail and ensure her release pending trial. The incitement charges could carry a sentence of more than 10 years. A trial date is up to the discretion of the military prosecutor. Atef said the prosecutor cited as evidence Mahfouz’s writing on Facebook and Twitter and a call to a private TV station in which she accused the country’s rulers of planning an attack on protesters. The lawyer said she was quoted as calling the military council as the “council of dogs.” She is accused of inciting violence by criticizing on Twitter the slow procedure of trials, and warning that people may take justice into their own hands. Mahfouz tweeted on 10 August. Bottom line, if the judiciary doesn’t get us our rights, no one should be crossed if there are armed groups, who carry out assassinations, since there is no law and no judiciary. No one should be crossed. Late on Sunday, Mahfouz appeared on a private TV station, saying the interrogation didn’t scare her, but reminded her of old regime ways. She said: The only thing I regret after this (interrogation) is that we didn’t work hard enough in the streets and with the people to explain why we need to continue this revolution … until this country gets what it deserves. Mahfouz is a founding member of the April 6 activist group. 7.40am: Welcome to Middle East live. The toppled Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, is due back in court in Cairo. We’ll be providing live updates from the trial as well as covering news elsewhere in the Middle East. Egypt • Mubarak will be back in the dock to answer charges of corruption and the unlawful killing of protesters . The Cairo criminal court will decide whether Muhammad Tantawi, the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian forces and de facto head of state, will be called to testify in Mubarak’s trial, judicial sources have told al-Masry al-Youm . Mubarak’s first appearance in court was memorable for the extraordinary images of the toppled dictator, who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for 30 years, being wheeled into court on a hospital trolley. You can read Jack Shenker’s riveting account of the first day of the trial here . This is a link to the live blog of Mubarak’s first court appearance on 3 August . Here is a full list of defendants and the charges they face . Syria • Syria has used gunboats for the first time to crush the uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime . At least 19 people were shot dead in the Syrian port city of Latakia on Sunday morning as the Assad regime’s aggressive military campaign to quell protests during the holy month of Ramadan continued. Machine guns were fired from at least one ship and several armoured vehicles at the neighbourhood of Ramel, according to local residents and activists. Libya • Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has urged his people to “liberate Libya” from Nato, a day after rebels captured the key town of Zawiya on the road west to Tunisia, severing Tripoli’s main supply route . Gaddafi’s speech on Monday, delivered over a poor quality telephone line and broadcast by state television in audio only, was his first public address since rebel fighters launched their latest offensive, the biggest in months. In what state television said was a live speech, he said: Get ready for the fight … The blood of martyrs is fuel for the battlefield. The capture of Zawiya enables rebels to halt food and fuel supplies from Tunisia to Gaddafi’s stronghold in the capital. • Representatives of Gaddafi’s government were holding talks with rebels at a hotel on the southern Tunisian island of Djerba late on Sunday , a source with direct knowledge of the talks said – though the government spokesman denied it. Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Egypt Hosni Mubarak Syria Bashar Al-Assad Libya Muammar Gaddafi Yemen Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 15, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.