The Court of Cassation on Sunday set 13 January to rule on former President Hosni Mubarak and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly’s appeals against their convictions of failing the prevent the deaths of protesters during the 25 January revolution.
Mubarak and Adly were each sentenced to 25 years in prison in June. Both men challenged the verdict, and if the Court of Cassation accepts their appeals, they will be granted retrials.
The Public Prosecution also appealed a verdict in the same case that acquitted Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal and businessman Hussein Salem of corruption, as well as the acquittal of six top security officials accused of killing protesters during the 18-day uprising.
During the court session on Sunday, small fights broke out between supporters and opponents of the deposed president, as well as families of those martyred during the revolution, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported, adding that Mubarak supporters chanted against the Muslim Brotherhood.
Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported that security forces did not intervene during the clashes.
According to state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, Adly’s attorney Essam al-Battawy said the court did not respond to his request to summon Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and former intelligence head Mourad Mowafy. He claimed these men’s testimonies would have affected the outcome of the case.
Anadolu also quoted attorney Mohamed al-Guindy as saying that Adly told him: “The Muslim Brotherhood has is not involved with violence or killing protesters during the January revolution. It’s a thought-based group.” The statement came after Mubarak’s lawyer Farid al-Deeb accused the brotherhood and the Palestinian Hamas movement of killing protesters, citing statements of deceased former spy chief Omar Suleiman.
During Mubarak’s rule, security services under Adly investigated and imprisoned Brotherhood members on charges of being members of a banned group and plotting against national interest.
Edited translation from MENA
