Egypt’s prosecutor seeks death for Mubarak
Cairo, 05 Jan – (ANA) - Egyptian prosecutors have demanded the death sentence for former president Hosni Mubarak and other defendants including his two sons and the former interior minister for their role in the killing of protesters in the uprising that swept him from power.
Many Egyptians hope the trial will heal some of the scars of Mubarak's autocratic rule and help the country find stability after nearly a year of political turmoil under the military generals who replaced him in power.
But the multitude of witnesses, complexity of charges and the prosecution's difficulty in obtaining evidence from the security services might make it easier for the defence lawyers to push for a lighter sentence for Mubarak and his co-defendants.
"The prosecution demands the maximum penalty against Mubarak and the rest of the accused, which is death by hanging," Mustafa Khater, a member of the prosecution team, told a court. "The killing of one person calls for a death penalty so what would the court say in a case where hundreds have been killed."
Khater's speech prompted cheers and claps from some lawyers who shouted: "Death, death ... God is greatest."
Mubarak, who ruled for three decades before he was forced on February 11 to step down after 18 days of public protests against his rule, is the first leader toppled by the wave of protests in the Arab world to stand trial in person.
The 83-year-old former president and the other defendants deny responsibility for the deaths. (ANA)
FA/ANA/05 January 2012-------------