THE TRIAL OF former interior minister for Egypt, Habib al-Adly, was adjourned today until 21 May at Cairo Criminal Court.
Adly pleaded not guilty to ordering the killing of unarmed protesters during the 25 January uprising.
Rawya Rageh from Al Jazeera reported from the courtroom that one man brought in the bloody clothes of his son who was killed during the protests.
She also said that some protesters tried to chase the vehicles as Adly was brought away from the court.
Adly has been charged along with six former aides.
The 25 January protests toppled the former regime in Egypt.
According to an official toll, 846 people were killed and several thousand wounded during 18 days of massive nationwide street protests that forced president Hosni Mubarak to quit on February 11.
Adly was the first member of Mubarak’s regime to be put on trial in another case of embezzlement, in which he has pleaded not guilty.
The court was placed under high security, with truckloads of riot police and army tanks stationed outside the building, the Associated Press reports.
Around 50 people, including family members of slain protesters, staged a demonstration outside the court, shouting, “Death penalty for Adly! That dog must be immediately executed!”
The removal of Adly from office was one of the chief demands of protesters when they launched the revolution against Mubarak’s regime on January 25.
Adly, along with a German businessman and former finance minister Yussef Boutros-Ghali, is also accused of illegally profiteering from a deal to import new vehicle number plates which they allegedly bought directly without a public tender as required by law.
- Additional reporting from AP
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say