June 2 set as Egyptian ex-President’s trial date

PanARMENIAN.Net - An Egyptian judge on Wednesday, Feb 22 set June 2 as the date for the verdict and sentencing in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak.

Mubarak, who ran Egypt for 30 years, is accused of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 18-day popular uprising that pushed him from power in February of last year. The prosecution is asking for the death penalty, usually carried out by hanging in Egypt.

More than 800 people were killed during the uprisings, many of them demonstrators shot dead by security forces.

Judge Ahmed Rifat said Wednesday that the final hearing, in which Mubarak will receive both his verdict and sentence, will be live on TV. Most media have been barred from the majority of the hearings in the seven-month trial.

Egyptians have closely followed the case, and many see its slow progress as an indictment of the council of ruling army generals who took power when Mubarak stepped down.

Critics of the military's handling of the transition to democracy say the trial's pace reflects a wider lack of justice for those killed in the uprising. Egyptian courts have so far not punished any police officers for the protester deaths.

Others have criticized the prosecution's handling of the case, saying it has failed to present strong enough evidence to support a murder charge.

Mubarak's defense team argues that he is still president, and thus can only be tried for treason or in a special court, The Associated Press reported.