27th September, 2014
Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak arrived at court on Saturday for the verdict in his murder retrial over the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that toppled him.
The 86-year old was flown by helicopter to the court at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo, after he was wheeled on a stretcher from a military hospital in the capital, an AFP correspondent and police said.
Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades, is charged alongside seven of his security commanders with involvement in the deaths of hundreds of demonstrators during the 18-day uprising.
He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in the initial trial, but an appeals court overturned the verdict on a technicality.
Police set up roadblocks around the sprawling court complex for the retrial verdict, and about a dozen protesters gathered in support of the deposed autocrat.
“I am here for Mubarak,” said Ahmed Said. “Enough injustice. He must be freed and receive honours.”
The court on Saturday will also rule on corruption charges against Mubarak and his two sons Alaa and Gamal.
Mubarak and his sons have already been sentenced to up to four years in prison in a separate corruption trial.
The former president has spent much of his detention in a military hospital.