Egypt's ex-president Hosni Mubarak returns to court for Violent clashes

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak gestures in this video images as he lies on a bed within a cage at the court building in Cairo on Monday as his trial on charges of corruption and complicity in killing protesters during Egypt's uprising continued. (Egyptian State TV/Associated Press)

The judge in the trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who is accused of corruption and complicity in the killing of protesters during the uprising against him, has decided to stop live TV broadcasts of the proceedings, which have been adjourned until Sept. 5.

Judge Ahmed Rifaat adjourned the trial after wrapping up Monday's proceedings. Earlier, Mubarak arrived on a stretcher at the Cairo courtroom. His older son, Alaa, covered a state TV camera as it filmed his father, wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, being wheeled out of the ambulance and into the trial venue.State TV cameras had been allowed in the courtroom for the first two hearings, but Rifaat said he decided to ban them before summoning witnesses."It is in protection of the general interest," Rifaat said."This decision pleases most of the lawyers who are really working on the case, not those who want the TV appearance," said Gamal Eid, who represents a number of families of slain protesters and watched Monday's hearing from his office."This will give us the right to some calm and concentration and turns it again into a legal case, not a show."Alaa Mubarak, the former president's other son, Gamal, former interior minister Habib el-Adly and six top security officials are also on trial.Brief scuffles between Mubarak supporters and opponents broke out outside the trial venue inside a Cairo police academy.The first day of the trial, which also saw clashes between the two sides, was taken up by procedural moves."Yes, I am here; I deny all these accusations completely," Mubarak said into a microphone. As it was Monday, the bed was placed inside a cage of mesh and iron bars, an effort to separate him from relatives of some of the 850 protesters killed in the uprising earlier this year.

About 600 people attended that first court appearance.Victims' relatives jockey for seats On Monday, victims' relatives could be heard arguing over where they would sit, to which presiding Judge Ahmed Rifaat told their lawyers, "The case needs effort, not protests or talking."The family lawyers asked to separate the corruption charges and the killing of the protesters so the trial wouldn't be delayed.The prosecution of the former president is unprecedented in the Arab world, the first time a modern Mideast leader has been put on trial fully by his own people.The closest event to it was former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's trial, but his capture came at the hands of U.S. troops in 2003 and his special tribunal was set up with extensive consultation with American officials and international experts.

Alaa Mubarak, left, and Gamal Mubarak, sons of Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak, in court in Cairo on Monday, in video image taken from Egyptian State Television. As is traditional in Egyptian trials, they were inside a metal defendants' cageAlaa Mubarak, left, and Gamal Mubarak, sons of Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak, in court in Cairo on Monday, in video image taken from Egyptian State Television. As is traditional in Egyptian trials, they were inside a metal defendants' cage (Egyptian State TV/Associated Press)Tunisia's deposed president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has been tried and convicted several times since he fell several weeks before Mubarak, but always in absentia. He remains in exile in Saudi Arabia.Mubarak, el-Adly and others are charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with the protesters who were killed. All could face the death penalty if convicted.

 

Suspect in Norway attacks is denied public platform in court

Reporting from Oslo— 

It was supposed to be a defining moment for Norwegian terror suspect Anders Behring Breivik.He'd hoped that the first hearing Monday into last week's twin attacks would be televised live by the world's media. He wanted to dress in a uniform to defend his actions as part of a bid to trigger an anti-Islamic revolution in Europe.
But to his disappointment, Breivik was neither seen nor heard in court. A Norwegian judge ruled the proceedings should be held behind closed doors, siding with government prosecutors who are increasingly nervous about giving the suspect a forum to expose his radical views.

Inside the courtroom, Breivik was formally charged with violating Norway’s anti-terrorism laws and remanded to solitary confinement for the next four weeks.

During a news briefing after the hearing, Judge Kim Heger said Breivik confessed to the attacks — which police now say killed 76 people, revised down from previous reports of 93 — but pleaded not guilty to the terrorism charges, justifying his actions as part of an anti-Muslim campaign.

He also claimed to be working with two other cells, although previously police said he told them he worked alone.

Norwegian officials said Monday it remains unclear whether Breivik is part of a wider conspiracy or is a lone megalomaniac.

Inside the courtroom, Breivik was formally charged with violating Norway's anti-terrorism laws and remanded to solitary confinement for the next four weeks.

During a news briefing after the hearing, Judge Kim Heger said Breivik confessed to the attacks — which police now say killed 76 people, revised down from previous reports of 93 — but pleaded not guilty to the terrorism charges, justifying his actions as part of an anti-Muslim campaign.He also claimed to be working with two other cells, although previously police said he told them he worked alone.Norwegian officials said Monday it remains unclear whether Breivik is part of a wider conspiracy or is a lone megalomaniac.But as more is learned about Breivik — through friends, family and a 1,500-page manifesto he released on the Internet — it appears likely that he is relishing the attention now being focused on his life and ideas.

His manifesto, released shortly before Friday's mayhem, refers to the bombing in downtown Oslo and an hourlong shooting massacre at a youth political camp outing as a "marketing" tool designed to focus international attention on his extremist ideology."Unfortunately, I don't think he's crazy," said Peter Svaar, a childhood friend of Breivik's. "He's cold, intelligent and resourceful. He's playing us all like a piano."Elsewhere, Norwegians continued to grapple with the tragedy. Police said new information had led them to lower their estimate of the number of casualties to 68 people on the island and raise the number of victims to eight in the earlier bomb blast. A massive rally was planned for Monday evening. Earlier in the day, the nation observed a minute of silence to remember the dead and those victims still unaccounted for and feared dead in the water around Utoya.Around downtown, lines at florist shops snaked out the door as well-wishers purchased bouquets to place at a growing memorial near the site of Friday's bomb blast.