Cairo Criminal Court convened on Sunday for the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak, his interior minister Habib al-Adly, and six of his aides, all accused of killing protesters during the 25 January, as well as his two sons Alaa and Gamal who are accused of financial corruption.
The court took the testimony of columnist Ibrahim Eissa who said he did not see police shooting at protesters from the roof of the American University.
“I think Mubarak was briefed of these incidents by his state officials, the General Intelligence Service, the ruling party and the ministers,” Eissa said. “This is what a head of state does to follow up on the course of events in a country.”
Eissa also said he did not see any armed or unarmed forces preparing to storm Tahrir Square.
“Friends called me after I left the square and said the police stormed it with tear gas canisters, pushing protesters to the side streets,” he said. “But I was not told of any deaths. Only suffocations from the gas.”
Eissa is known as an ardent critic of Mubarak and was sentenced to prison on charges of publishing false news about Mubarak’s health.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
