Anger at End of Mubarak Trial Broadcasts

Egyptian activists have threatened to march in protest over a judge’s decision that the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak should no longer be televised.

The trial resumed on September 5, but was not broadcast live, in line with the judge’s decision to suspend transmissions, made at the previous session on August 15.

Mubarak is accused of ordering the killing of protesters in the mass demonstrations that eventually forced him to stand down earlier this year.

Galal Faisal Ali, who lost his brother Nasser during the revolution, said he was furious that promises to broadcast the trial had been broken.

“The prime minister is reneging on his obligations one by one,” he said. “We [families of victims] met with him and the minister of justice, and they assured us that the public broadcast wouldn’t be limited to just a first session.”

Many activists say they will take to the streets again if the broadcasts do not resume.

A three-week sit-in in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in July is widely believed to have forced the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces into allowing the live transmissions from the courtroom.

The first two sessions were marked by some confusion. While many of those present were acting for the families of victims, others seemed to have shown up for rather more dubious purposes. The quirkiest incident involved a lawyer who demanded that the defendant take a DNA test, because he argued that the real Mubarak died in 2005 and was replaced by a double.

Matters have been further complicated by the actions of Mubarak’s chief defence lawyer Fareed el-Deeb, who submitted a request that all the witnesses listed in the case – over 1,600 people – be heard in court. Judges have yet to rule on this request.

Not everyone believes ending the broadcasts is a bad thing.

Essam Sultan, deputy head of the Wasat party, said that halting broadcasts was for the good of the trial, to ensure that “witnesses won't hear each other's testimonies, but also to weed out lawyers who are only seeking fame.”

The Egyptian public’s interest in the Mubarak trial seems to have waned as people realise that, given its complexity and the slowness of Egypt’s judicial system, the case might last several years.

Patrick Phares, general manager of the Gargour Technologies company, said he had set up screens so that employees could watch the first session, but did not do so for the second one.

“There didn't seem to be much interest anyway. People watched the first session, saw Mubarak in prison uniform, and that was about it,” he said.

This reflects the views of many Egyptians. They were astounded to see their former president being wheeled into court on a stretcher, wearing the plain white uniform issued to detainees awaiting trial, and they collectively held their breath as the judge called for the “accused Muhammad Hosni Mubarak” and he replied, “Present.”

But the intricate details of the proceedings are of less interest. While media coverage of the initial session was entertaining, further developments are likely to be closely followed only by lawyers and journalists.

On the eve of the third session, news reports on the trial did not focus on the actual substance of the case. The latest development was that a number of lawyers from Kuwait had volunteered to join Mubarak’s defence team in gratitude for his support when Iraq invaded their country 1990.

Some say the waning interest may be a blessing, as there is only so much attention a nation in transition can devote to dealing with the past.

Many argue that there are far more pressing matters to deal with, among them a parliamentary election due in the next few months, and the intrusive role that the military continues to play.

There is particular concern about the continuing use of military courts to try civilians, and a demonstration on September 9 will highlight the issue.

Mona Seif, who leads the No to Military Trials group, said the continuing application of martial law was of greater concern than the fate of one man.

“I don’t worry about the Mubarak trial when I know that civilians are being given military trials every day,” she said.

Mohamed El Dahshan is a journalist and development economist based in Cairo.