Egyptian Court Drops Criminal Charges Against Mubarak
A court on Saturday dismissed all remaining
criminal charges against former President Hosni Mubarak, raising the
possibility that he could go free for the first time since being removed
from office in the 2011 uprising that defined the Arab Spring.
CAIRO — An Egyptian court on Saturday dismissed all remaining criminal charges against former President Hosni Mubarak,
raising the possibility that Mr. Mubarak could go free for the first
time since he was removed from office in the 2011 uprising that defined
the Arab Spring.
During
earlier hearings in the various proceedings against Mr. Mubarak human
rights lawyers demanded harsh punishment for his three decades of brutal
autocracy, but Saturday’s court session was packed with Mubarak
supporters who erupted in cheers at the verdict.
The
86-year-old former leader, who has been held at a military hospital and
appeared in court on a stretcher, remained stone-faced as the chief
judge, Mahmoud Kamel al-Rashidi, read the verdict. Only then did he
allow himself a smile, and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, hugged and
kissed him in celebration. Both were acquitted of corruption charges
along with their father.
The
judge would not elaborate on his reasoning from the bench, insisting
that any commentators read at least a 240-page summary of his 1,340-page
explanation of the case.
He
dismissed the most serious charges: that Mr. Mubarak was responsible
for the killing of hundreds of nonviolent demonstrators during the
protests that ended his rule. He acquitted him of the corruption
charges, which involved allegations that he had sold natural gas to
Israel at below-market prices, as well as other allegations Mr. Mubarak
and his sons were given vacation homes as kickbacks.
In May, Mr. Mubarak was sentenced to three years in prison
in a separate corruption case, involving lavish, government-funded
improvements to his and his sons’ personal homes. But having spent more
than three years in custody on various charges, the former president
might now be freed after a determination that he had served the
requisite time.
Judge Rashidi declared on Saturday that his verdict “has nothing to do with politics.”
Beyond
the courtroom, many Egyptians said that the decision reflected the
times. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the former general who last year
led the military takeover that ousted an elected Islamist government,
has consolidated power as Egypt’s new strongman and surrounded himself with former Mubarak ministers and advisers.
State-run
and pro-government media now routinely denounce the pro-democracy
activists who led the 2011 uprising as a “fifth column” out to undermine
the state, while the Islamists who dominated the elections are now
jailed and denounced as terrorists.
Legal
experts said that the charges against Mr. Mubarak were flawed from the
start becausethey were rushed to court to appease public demands for
retribution against him after his ouster.
The
murder charges for directing police to kill unarmed protesters were
difficult to prove because of the many layers in the Egyptian military’s
chain of command and the broad latitude for self-defense often given to
the police. The corruption charges appeared to have been thrown
together hastily without a thorough review of the many other allegations
that surrounded Mr. Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
In
an earlier trial for the same charges, a judge found Mr. Mubarak
responsible for the killings of the protesters and sentenced him to life
in prison. But that judge’s verdict appeared to acknowledge a lack of
evidence, acquitting those below Mr. Mubarak in the chain of command.
That judge also dismissed the corruption charges on technical grounds,
and, as expected, an appellate court threw out the verdict and ordered a
retrial.
Next in World
Roberto Gómez Bolaños, the Mexican Comedic Artist ‘Chespirito,’ Dies at 85
copy http://www.nytimes.com
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário