Egypt's Mubarak ordered back to prison

18/04/2013| IslamWeb

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been ordered to be transferred back to prison from a military hospital on the recommendation of a medical team after he appeared fitter at his aborted retrial.

The prosecutor general's office said on Wednesday that it decided Mubarak would return to Torah prison on the outskirts of Cairo, without saying when he would be moved.

Many Egyptians were angered when the 84-year-old Mubarak, who had been seriously ill last year, appeared in good health, smiling and waving to the public in court last Saturday, prompting calls for him to be put back in jail.

Earlier on Wednesday, judicial sources announced that Mubarak's retrial on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during that uprising that ousted him from power in 2011 would start on May 11 in Cairo.

The trial will be presided by Judge Mahmud al-Rashidi at the North Cairo Criminal Court, the sources said.]

Murder complicity

Mubarak, his former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six security chiefs are charged with complicity in the murder and attempted murder of hundreds of peaceful protesters on January 25-31, 2011.

On Monday, an Egyptian court ordered the release of Mubarak over the killings of activists, but he would remain in custody on fraud charges.

Muabarak has spent the maximum legal time of two years in detention since being charged with the murders.

Mubarak and al-Adly were sentenced to life terms at their first trial in June but the highest appeal court ordered a retrial after accepting appeals from the defense and prosecution.

The retrial was meant to begin on April 13, but Judge Mostafa Hassan Abdallah recused himself in an opening session that lasted just seconds and sent the case to the Court of Appeal to choose a new circuit.

In October, the same judge had acquitted defendants in the infamous "Battle of the Camels" trial, who were accused of sending men on camels and horses to break up a protest during the 2011 uprising.

Mubarak's sons, Alaa and Gamal will face corruption charges along with their father and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem.

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, second right, waves at his supporters, who with his sons Alaa, right, and Gamal. left attend a hearing in their retrial on appeal in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, April 13, 2013.

Aljazeera