Former People’s Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour defended himself in the Battle of the Camel trial Saturday, calling for the prosecution's witnesses to be dismissed for what he called their lack of neutrality and fabricated testimonies.
Sorour is one of 24 senior officials from the Mubarak regime accused of attacking peaceful demonstrators in and around Tahrir Square on 2 and 3 February 2011. The case, being heard at the Cairo Criminal Court, is set to resume on Monday.
Speaking from the defense cage, Sorour, a lawyer, asked that he be allowed to defend himself in addition to his defense team. His lawyer said that since more than one prosecutor was investigating him, but the order referring him to court was only signed by one, the prosecution committed a procedural error. Another of his lawyers said there was no conclusive evidence for the charges against him.
Another defendant, former Shura Council Speaker Safwat al-Sherif, also denied the charges against him. He said he had told former President Hosni Mubarak to respond to the demands of anti-government protesters.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
