Egypt's newspapers on Wednesday feature front-page headlines, photos and in-depth coverage of the latest news from the country's high-profile court case. The ongoing trial of Hosni Mubarak and his associates was rocked by new allegations against the ousted president regarding his role in the killings of protesters during 25 January revolution.
Also capturing headlines — but not yet captured — is former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali, who was spotted Tuesday at the London School of Economics but was not apprehended. The incident also made headlines in the UK because Boutros-Ghali, who has been taking refuge in London since the uprising, is sought by Interpol for questioning. Al-Azhar's declaration of rights and freedoms, announced by Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, also receives a great deal of coverage.
"Mubarak visited Tahrir Square by helicopter on 28 January and 2 February" reads the top headline in the state-owned newspaper Al-Akhbar. According to Al-Akhbar, Mubarak personally inspected the armed attacks against protesters in Tahrir and downtown Cairo on the two bloodiest days of the uprising — the "Friday of Anger" and the "Battle of the Camel" — according to lawyers who represent martyrs' families.
From the front page of the liberal Al-Wafd, the top headline reads: "Surprise: Mubarak convened a 'war council' on 18 January to orchestrate killing of protesters." Al-Wafd says defense lawyers claimed Mubarak, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and his six deputy police chiefs had planned the deadly security crackdown a week before the revolution started.
Quoting a defense lawyer, Al-Wafd also mentions that "the president was in the helicopter seen hovering over Tahrir Square" during the uprising, adding that the helicopter hovered at an altitude of only 50 meters, "enabling him to personally inspect the ranks of the protesters."
"Continued demands for Mubarak's execution," reads independent Al-Tahrir's top headline. One sub-headline reads, "Two days for the defense of the martyrs, a month [of court sessions] for the defense of the ousted." The article mentions that a greatly disproportionate number of sessions has been allocated for hearing the defense lawyers for Mubarak and the police chiefs.
In the independent newspaper Al-Shorouk, a front-page headline reads, "25 [court] sessions left for attempts to save the necks of Mubarak and his men." Given the court-ordered ban on cameras in the Mubarak trial, Al-Shorouk describes in detail scenes from Tuesday's court session, writing that "the former president gives up his stretcher and suffices with a wheelchair."
Regarding coverage of Mubarak's former finance minister, Al-Tahrir writes that Boutros-Ghali "flees from a British college after Egyptian students expel him." Boutros-Ghali was attending a lecture at the London School of Economics about the 25 January revolution when Egyptian students spotted him and demanded that he be removed. Dina Makram, a PhD student at the university, stood up at the lecture and announced that she and others were "appalled" by Boutros-Ghali's presence. She added that "this man should not be here, as he has been issued a criminal sentence of 30 years."
In Al-Akhbar, an article entitled "Safe haven for former finance minister in Britain" mentions that an Egyptian student recognized Boutros-Ghali at the lecture and "shouted 'catch that thief,' which led him to escape by a backdoor." Al-Shorouk reports that "Egyptians chase out Youssef Boutros-Ghali from economics college in London."
The draft declaration of rights and freedoms formulated by Al-Azhar, Egypt's oldest and foremost institution of Sunni Islam, also made headlines. Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb announced the declaration on Tuesday. Al-Akhbar describes the draft as a "historic declaration from Al-Ahzar in support of freedoms." The state-owned paper highlights the main points of the declaration, including: the criminalization of compulsion in religion, discrimination, marginalization, and denunciations of apostasy; as well as the support of freedom of artistic expression, with consideration for religious values; and the prevention of Islamic "morality police" or "religious vigilantes."
A large article in Al-Shorouk explains that Tayyeb's draft declaration guarantees the freedoms of religion, opinion, and artistic and literary works, as well as the mother of all freedoms, freedom of expression. The article describes Tayyeb's reasoning behind this draft declaration as an attempt to stave off Islamic fundamentalism, compulsion in religious acts, and enforced indoctrination. Meanwhile, a sidebar in the independent Al-Dostour newspaper proclaims, "Political forces, unions and the Church welcome the initiative of the sheikh of Al-Azhar."
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
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party
Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
