Tuesday's papers: The next chapter of the Mubarak trial

Privately owned Al-Shorouk writes, “Mubarak imprisoned until further notice.” Cairo Criminal Court yesterday ordered the release of former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak over charges of regarding the killing of protesters during the uprising that led to his ouster. Mubarak will, however, remain in custody pending investigations over other corruption charges related to the misuse of funds. The court session started with the declaration of attendance of the former president, then the court listened to his lawyer, Farid al-Deeb, who argued that Mubarak’s provisional detention, which started in April 2011, has ended because two years have elapsed since the start of his trial.

According to Al-Shorouk, Mubarak entered the court accompanied by his two sons despite the fact that the appeal does not concern them. Mubarak appeared on a stretcher without the dark sunglasses he usually wears. The court house was filed with Mubarak supporters and there was zero presence of his opponents.

Yehia Galal, head of the Illicit Gains Authority, informed al-Shorouk that the authority had issued a 15-day detention over a case in which he is charged with financial corruption in May 2011, but the decision had been postponed, as Mubarak was imprisoned over another case. Galal told the paper that this detention order will be activated immediately.

Al-Akhbar’s headline on the Mubarak trial has a different emphasis, leading this morning with, “Mubarak released over charges of murdering protesters.” The paper cites the general prosecution's spokesperson, Mahmoud al-Hefnawy, who states that the former president remains in detention over charges in three other cases of corruption, misuse of funds allocated for the renovation of presidential palaces, in addition to receiving presents from newspapers.

Meanwhile, a number of Mubarak supporters gathered in front of Gate 8 of the Police Academy calling for the immediate release of the former president. A street vendor stood in the middle of the crowd selling pictures of Mubarak while others groups of people chanted and waved banners denouncing the humiliation of their leader. Most of the crowd wore white t-shirts with Mubarak pictures on it and a sentence reading, “We love you.”

The state-owned daily also reports on the explosions in Boston. Three were killed and more than 100 injured in a series of explosions in Boston yesterday at 2:30 pm Eastern Standard time near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The paper’s reporting describes how local TV channels broadcast pictures of the street covered in debris and ambulances carrying the injured and cites the New York Times coverage of a tent initially for the runners being used to treat the injured. Al-Akhbar reports that surveillance cameras spotted a man carrying two bags, according to the head of police, who says the explosives were placed inside garbage bins and that the bombs were manufactured locally.

The front page of the Freedom and Justice paper this morning overlooks both Mubarak and Boston news, and features instead the third installment of a profile on Mahdi Akef, the former supreme guide. According to the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood, Akef unveiled for the first time secrets from the 1948 war and the role of the Brotherhood in fighting the British in the Suez Canal. A picture of Akef shows him reloading his rifle. The four-page profile discusses the bravery of the Brotherhood and their ability to drag the “Jews” into a fight in an open land.

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-Watan: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Al-Sabah: Daily, privately owned