Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose rein came to an end in last year’s Arab Spring, has been sentenced to life in prison. It was the first-ever judgment of an Arab leader before his own people. Mubarak and his former interior minister were found guilty on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters. Six senior security officers were found not guilty. Charges of corruption against Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa were dismissed. The ruling ignited chaos in the courtroom as Mubarak’s supporters fought with prosecutors, who shouted demands that the judicial system be “cleansed.” The judge ruled that although there was no evidence the former president had directly ordered police to shoot protestors, he and his interior minister were guilty because they had done nothing to stop the killing.
The judge summed up 60,000 pages of evidence, 250 hours of trial proceedings, and called Mubarak’s 29-year rule “dark days.” He said those who died to overthrow it “were asking peacefully for freedom and justice against those who lived in corruption.” Protestors once again took over Tahrir Square, angry over the freedom of the six security officers. Khalid Fahmi, who has been involved in the revolution from day one, said, “This verdict is basically acquitting the police officers, basically sending them a message that they can do whatever they want to do with impunity.” The people in the square reportedly say they want the six senior security officers back on trial and convicted so they can get justice for who they call the martyrs of the revolution.
