The trial of deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, of his sons Gamal and 'Alaa, and of Egypt's former interior minister Habib Al-'Adli and six of his aides, began yesterday (August 3, 2011) in Cairo. The main charge against them is responsibility for the deaths of protesters during the January revolution. Hosni Mubarak, seen on television for the first time since his resignation on February 12, was wheeled into the defendants' cage on a gurney, and his sons sat by his side throughout the hearing, holding Korans. All three denied the charges against them. The trial is scheduled to continue on August 15, 2011.
The majority of Egyptian journalists presented the trial as an historic case of justice being served, and as proof that Egypt has undergone a profound change. A minority of writers expressed a degree of sympathy for Mubarak, arguing that he had not been aware of what was going on in the country during his last years in office and during the protests against him, because the country had been run by a group of his associates.
Articles in the Arab press regarded the trial as proof of the change sweeping though the Arab world at large, and as a precedent that should deter other dictators. Some pointed out that unlike the dictators of Syria and Libya, Mubarak heeded the people's call and stepped down voluntarily, and therefore does not deserve the humiliation of a public trial.
It should be mentioned that the official Syrian press was minimal in its coverage of the Mubarak trial, and that Syrian writers have largely refrained from expressing an opinion about it.
The following are excerpts from some of the articles in the Egyptian and Arab press:
1. Reactions in Egypt: Justice at Last
Al-Ahram: "Trial of the Century"
An editorial in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram stated: "There is no doubt that this trial is an historic event that brings joy to all Egyptians, and especially to the families of the martyrs. During the Mubarak regime, Egyptians suffered oppression, tyranny, and poverty. When [the regime finally] went too far, everyone pulled together to save [the country] and to seek the freedom and democracy of which they had been deprived for so long by that regime, which took over all the state apparatuses and institutions and filled them with corruption.
"This trial will prove the extent of the crimes committed by Mubarak and his aides against the [Egyptian] people – corruption, plunder, robbery, squandering of public funds, and killing of innocent people. [The trial] will force every ruler and every official, in every position, to think 1,000 times before straying from the straight path, or abusing his position. Because if he does, he will face thousands of people who will lie in wait for him, demand accountability, and demand their rights.
"This is indeed the trial of the century – the trial of an Egyptian president brought down by his people..."[1]
Al-Gumhouriyya: "Egypt Has Become a State of Law"
An editorial in the Egyptian daily Al-Gumhouriyya said: "For the first time, a former Egyptian president is standing trial today, proving that post-revolution Egypt has become a state of law. Under the corrupt, failed regime, [Egypt] was a jungle [full of] predators, where the large devoured the small and the strong [devoured] the weak. Government and financial jobs were monopolized by a minority of relatives, associates, and protégés, at the expense of the vast majority of the citizens, who suffered from social injustice and from the tyranny of the corrupt.
"The glorious January revolution, which is now judging Hosni Mubarak and his aides, is proving that this is a just trial in which the defendants have the right to defend themselves. But [when they ruled the country, these defendants] showed their opponents no justice, torturing and murdering them in state security prisons and secret dungeons, in order to silence the voice of truth that protects the rights of the oppressed and to terrorize anyone demanding that injustice be eliminated and justice be done.[2]
Former Al-Ahram Board Chairman: Mubarak Did Not Know What Was Going On in Egypt
'Abd Al-Mun'im Sa'id, former board chairman of the government daily Al-Ahram, wrote in the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: "Hosni Mubarak's biggest mistake was remaining in power for 30 years. [Also,] during the past five years, he allowed his aides to gradually edge closer to power, so they could either share it or compete amongst themselves for it...
"Thus, Mubarak was a victim of the regime, just as the regime was his victim. His presence in the regime's [circle of] power ended [even before the regime fell] – to the point where he had become the willing prisoner of a group of people who kept him in the dark, even during the revolution, when the situation was at its worst. Things got to the point where Mubarak truly did not know what was going on in the country. When NDP secretary-general Dr. Hossam Badrawi managed to speak to Mubarak in private, on February 9, he said to him...: 'Mr. President, you are in a situation like that of Ceausescu in Romania.' Mubarak responded in amazement...: 'Is the situation really that bad?' This was two days before Mubarak stepped down..."[3]
2. Reactions in Arab World
A. Mubarak's Trial – A Message to All Dictators in the Region
Editor of Lebanese Daily: The Mubarak Trial – A Turning Point in Arab Political Culture
Sati' Nour Al-Din, editor of the Lebanese daily Al-Safir, described Mubarak's trial as one of the most important achievements of the Egyptian revolution to date: "Justice for the victims of the Egyptian revolution – including over 1,000 people who were killed and 3,000 who were wounded – will not be a matter for bargain and barter, for this is an opportunity to declare once and for all the fall of the [former] regime. The leaders [of this regime] are bound to fall, one by one, in the face of the popular pressure which, through its political power, threw open the gates of the court and [demanded an account from] one of the greatest emblems of the Egyptian, Arab and Muslim decline [i.e., Mubarak]..."
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Nour Al-Din added that the trial didn't only provide justice for the victims of the revolution, but also marked a turning point in Arab political culture, formerly based on political and religious tyranny, and represented a significant step toward a modern perception of the state, in which rulers serve the people for a limited period of time and then step down.[4]
Mubarak's Trial – A Triumph for the January 25 Revolution
Al-Arab Al-Yawm (Jordan), Aug 4, 2011
Qatari Daily: The Era of Impunity Is Over
An editorial in the Qatari daily Al-Raya said: "Egypt and the entire region are witnessing an unprecedented historic event in the Arab world: the ousted Egyptian president standing trial...
"This trial proves that the era of impunity is over, not just in Egypt, but in the entire Arab world. It also proves that Egypt is advancing with full force toward the future for which the January 25 Revolution arose – and that there is no turning back...[5]
Saudi Daily: The Saddam and Mubarak Trials Signal the End of the Age of Tyranny
An editorial in the Saudi daily Al-Yawm said: "In Arab history, two trials took place under popular pressure: the trial of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, and the trial of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, which began today (August 3).
"These two trials are proof that legal and political immunity do not apply to any politician or leader who has gone against the will of his nation and become a harsh dictator...
"Yesterday it was Saddam Hussein, today it is Hosni Mubarak; surely tomorrow there will be many more trials of other leaders who provoked the will of their peoples and went to excess in their bloody deeds...
"The Arab world is not what it once was. The awareness of the need for freedoms, political participation, justice, and rights is the title of this new phase – and no politician can ignore this. This means that the previous era in the Arab world is over, and that we must adapt to these new changes, so as to protect the strength of the Arab nation and the honor of its peoples..."[6]
The Next Presidents Are Already on Their Way to Trial
Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Aug 4, 2011
B. Mubarak Does Not Deserve This Humiliation
Jordanian Broadcasting Authority Director: Mubarak's Honor Should Be Preserved
Jordanian Broadcasting Authority director and former information minister Salah Al-Qallab wrote: "The officers [who carried out] Egypt's 1952 revolution made sure to hold a formal farewell ceremony for King Farouq before removing him from Egypt... Those revolutionaries could have arrested Farouq on thousands of charges, for he had committed crimes... but they refrained from doing so and preserved the honor of Egypt's king, for they regarded it as the honor of the Egyptian state and Egyptian history...
"There is nothing more painful than seeing 82-year-old Hosni Mubarak wheeled into the defendants' cage on his deathbed, wearily looking around the terrifying courtroom... Mubarak could have fled Egypt, along with his sons, for some other country, far or near – yet he did not do so. He chose [to face] this sad end rather than leave the homeland that he had served as a brave officer in its glorious air force. He refused to be buried in any soil but the soil [of the homeland] for which he had once been prepared to give his life. For this reason, and despite all [his] crimes... he deserves a dignified military trial..."[7]
Jihad Al-Khazen: Mubarak Was Better than His Three Predecessors
On July 15, 2011, Al-Hayat columnist Jihad Al-Khazen wrote an article supporting Mubarak that sparked widespread criticism. The following is an excerpt from the article, as it appeared in the daily's English edition:[8]
"I am not claiming that [Mubarak] is the Charles de Gaulle of his time. But I argue that he is better than the three [Egyptian] leaders who preceded him [Anwar Sadat, 'Abd Al-Nasser, and King Farouq]...
"The youths of Egypt... rose up against the regime and overthrew it, and this is their right. They are the sons and daughters of the country and its future... The way Hosni Mubarak was dealt with after his ouster did not reflect the Egyptians' moral character. It [went against] the truth, righteousness, and the man's track record for 30 years, not six.
"Hosni Mubarak did not deserve to be insulted along with his family, and to be threatened with trial and prison, and perhaps even execution. He is past the autumn of his life and it is time for this knight to rest."
Al-Siyassa Editor: Mubarak Is Not Saddam, Qadhafi, or Assad
Ahmad Al-Jarallah, editor of the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, who is known for his support of Mubarak, wrote that the former Egyptian president does not deserve to be prosecuted:
"The intuitive question that arises is - what is Hosni Mubarak being tried for? He is not Saddam Hussein, who left dozens of mass graves in his wake; he is not Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi, who hid below ground and sent his forces to set Libya ablaze for his illusions of leadership; and he is not Bashar Al-Assad, who uses his forces like a blade to cut down Syrians who [are calling] for reforms and freedom.
"Hosni Mubarak is none of these, and he did not do what these blood-mongers did to their people in order to remain in power. He did not commit [any] crime that is worthy of a trial. Moreover, he met his people halfway and chose to transfer power in an orderly fashion. We must give the man credit for this, as well as for his achievements during his time in office... The president on trial was commander of the air force during the 1973 war, which restored the glory of the Egyptian military, and the supreme commander of the armed forces. So how could the Council of the Armed Forces submit to the blackmail of the voices on the street, and agree to try the former president? Does that not mean that the Council is putting itself on trial?..."[9]
[1] Al-Ahram (Egypt), August 3, 2011.
[2] Al-Gumhouriyya (Egypt), August 3, 2011.
[3] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), August 3, 2011.
[4] Al-Safir (Lebanon), August 3, 2011.
[5] Al-Raya (Qatar), August 3, 2011.
[6] Al-Yawm (Saudi Arabia), August 3, 2011. The Saudi ambassador to Egypt said today that the Mubarak trial does not concern Saudi Arabia, because it does not interfere in the affairs of other countries. He clarified that his country has not had any contact with Mubarak since he stepped down, and that the Mubarak has not visited Saudi Arabia since then, contrary to reports that he went there for medical treatment. Al-Shurouq (Egypt), August 4, 2011.
[7] Al-Rai (Jordan), Aug 4, 2011.
[8] Al-Hayat (London), July 15, 2011. The text has been lightly edited for clarity.
[9] Al-Siyassa (Kuwait), August 2, 2011.
