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Trial of Egypts former security chief postponed
CAIRO - An Egyptian judge on Saturday postponed the trial of the countrys former interior minister and four of his top aides in the deadly shooting of protesters after chaos broke out in the courtroom, with families of the victims shouting Butcher! Butcher! at the defendants.Habib el-Adly is the highest-ranking former regime official to be brought to trial so far in the killings of 846 protesters and the injury of thousands of others during the uprising that forced ex-president Hosni Mubarak to step down on Feb. 11. If convicted, el-Adly could face the death penalty. As Mubaraks interior minister for 13 years, El-Adly presided over the 500,000-strong security forces blamed for some of the worst human rights violations Egypt had seen in decades. Outside the heavily guarded courtroom north of Cairo on Saturday, families of the victims held up pictures of their dead relatives and posters calling for the death penalty. They pushed down security barricades in their rush to enter the courtroom. Once inside, the families shouted Butcher! at el-Adly. The chaos prompted the judge to postpone the trial to June 26. Plaintiffs lawyers presented a request to change the judge because of what they said was his friendship with el-Adly. Posted by: Steve White 2011-05-22 |
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