“Mubarak on trial in Cairo,” reads the headline on Al-Ahram’s front page. The state-owned paper leads with the announcement that the former president will face prosecution in the country’s capital, and not, as many had worried, in his Sharm el-Sheikh hospital room, where he is currently receiving treatment following a recent – and somewhat vague – health “crisis.”
According to a statement issued by Minister of Justice Mohamed Abdel Aziz al-Guindy, the official order requesting the transfer of Mubarak from Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo will be issued “soon,” although the actual courtroom where the trial will take place has yet to be determined. Al-Ahram reports that, due to the current “lack of proper security measures” in the capital’s courthouses, security will take an “unconventional” form.
Al-Ahram also reports that, according to Guindy’s statement, whether Mubarak’s trial is held in Cairo “depends on the presence of three other individuals accused of similar crimes: Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, and businessman Hussein Salem.”
The legal technicalities behind Mubarak’s transfer to Cairo will be investigated by General Attorney Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, while the decision to move him to a medical facility or state prison will be made by a committee of doctors and professors from Al-Azhar, Ain Shams, and Cairo universities, as well as the Armed Forces’ medical sector. The paper’s report maintains that Mubarak’s transfer will happen sometime this week, as his medical condition has been “stable for some time.”
However, in a sidebar on Al-Akhbar’s front page, the paper reports that “there is no truth to the rumors of Mubarak being flown to Cairo via military aircraft,” according to an anonymous member of the armed forces. The same source goes on to assert that “the likelihood of Mubarak being transferred anywhere anytime soon is highly unlikely, as his medical condition remains extremely unstable.”
Independent daily Al-Shorouk supports this position with a quote from a different anonymous source, who claims that Mubarak will stay in Sharm el-Sheikh not because of his health condition, but rather due to the “difficulties in providing him with proper security in Cairo.” The source then went on to speculate on whether Mubarak’s Sharm el-Sheikh trial would be televised. In the same article, independent attorney Negad al-Borai states his opinion that the current situation is “as far removed from the idea of justice as possible,” adding that the current interim government “is not interested in justice, or truth, and only offers sporadic distractions for the people… throwing occasional and meaningless scraps to the starving public.”
The paper’s report also points out that, as of yet, no government institution or ministry has been designated to cover the costs of Mubarak’s medical procedures and lengthy hospital stay.
Al-Dostour echoes the same uncertainty for its lead story, adding that a small group of protesters unsuccessfully attempted to storm the Sharm el-Sheikh hospital where Mubarak is currently residing. No further details are provided on that particular issue.
Besides its report on the location of former president’s eventual trial, Al-Shorouk leads with the “first sentence against Mubarak,” referring to the LE200 million fine which he received for imposing a communication blackout during the revolution by shutting down the country’s internet and cellular phone services. Former Minister of Interior Habib al-Adly has also been fined LE300 million, while former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif was slapped with a smaller, LE40 million fine. The court explained its sentence by announcing in its statement that the three men “made an administrative decision, as [Egypt’s] leaders, that intentionally harmed the economy, resulting in a loss of approximately LE540 million.”
The LE540 million fine also made the lead story in independent daily Al-Wafd, which, in a separate report, quotes Assistant Minister of Health Abdel Hamid Abaza as describing Mubarak’s current health situation as “stable, as of yesterday (Friday).” Abaza also confirmed that, although no official request had yet been issued, the president will likely be transferred later during the week, but to a location not mentioned in any of the other papers’ reports: The International Medical Center. Abaza claims that this makes the most sense, as no other facilities – particularly those within prisons – are sufficiently up to date to house and treat the former president.
The “permanent” reopening of the Rafah border crossing is also featured in Sunday’s news. Al-Ahram’s front page reports claims that, in the first hour after its opening, over 3000 individuals passed through Rafah, with thousands more having lined up at the crossing days in advance. The crossing was officially opened on Saturday morning, and will be open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, except for Fridays and national holidays. With the exception of males aged 18 to 40, visa requirements have been canceled for Palestinians traveling into Egypt.
Egypt's papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party
Youm7: Weekly, privately owned
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
