The murder trial of Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak was expected to resume on Wednesday after a three-month hiatus that saw the ousted strongman’s fate eclipsed by deadly clashes and an Islamist election victory.
But a later, an announcement from an Egypt court said that the trial will be postponed and will take place on Monday instead.
Mubarak risks the death sentence if he is found to have been complicit in the killings of some 850 people who died during protests that overthrew him in February.
The ailing former president, 83, arrived by ambulance at the Police Academy -- which once bore his name -- and was wheeled out by stretcher into the courthouse.
Around 5,000 policemen were deployed to secure the trial at the academy in the outskirts of Cairo, in coordination with the army.
But a later, an announcement from an Egypt court said that the trial will be postponed and will take place on Monday instead.
Mubarak risks the death sentence if he is found to have been complicit in the killings of some 850 people who died during protests that overthrew him in February.
The ailing former president, 83, arrived by ambulance at the Police Academy -- which once bore his name -- and was wheeled out by stretcher into the courthouse.
Around 5,000 policemen were deployed to secure the trial at the academy in the outskirts of Cairo, in coordination with the army.
Mubarak’s two sons Alaa and Gamal, his former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six former security chiefs, defendants in the same case, also arrived in court.
Several pro-Mubarak supporters held banners of the former president, while families of the victims that died in protests carried pictures of their deceased relatives, an AFP correspondent said.
“The trial is a sham and the gang still rules,” the families chanted.
“We removed Mubarak, we got Hussein. To hell with both of them,” they shouted in reference to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak’s longtime defense minister who is now running the country.
The trial came to a halt when lawyers asked that presiding judge Ahmed Refaat be replaced, a request that was subsequently rejected on December 7.
Mubarak is the first leader to be toppled in the so-called Arab Spring uprisings to appear before a court.
Ever since the trial began in August, many in the country have been riveted by the sight of their ailing former ruler of nearly 30 years lying in a hospital bed inside the courtroom’s cage, where defendants traditionally sit during trials in Egypt.
During early sessions, the trial was bogged down by frequent commotion and arguments in the courtroom between the defense and the lawyers representing the protesters.
The first hearing on August 3 was broadcast live on television, but Refaat soon ordered the cameras out.
The judge drew the ire of lawyers representing Mubarak’s alleged victims after he issued a media gag order on testimony by high-profile witnesses, including Tantawi.
In statements after his testimony, Tantawi said Mubarak had never ordered the shooting of protesters.
But despite the media frenzy at the start of the case, Mubarak’s fate has since been overshadowed by deadly clashes between the army and people protesting against the military junta that took over when the long-time president resigned.
Attention was also diverted to the first post-revolution legislative elections which begun on November 28, in which Islamists have emerged as front-runners.
It is widely expected that the resumption of the trial will be merely procedural, with little discussion of the accusations against Mubarak.
But lawyers supporting the former president are hoping to clear his name.
Yussri Abdel Razek, who heads the defense committee -- which includes four Kuwaiti lawyers -- said Tuesday he had obtained “new documents that will prove Mubarak’s innocence.”
Mubarak resigned on February 11 after three decades of autocratic rule following a popular uprising in which more than 6,000 were also injured.
He is being held in a military hospital, where he receives treatment for a heart condition. His lawyer Farid al-Deeb says Mubarak suffers from stomach cancer.
Ever since the trial began in August, many in the country have been riveted by the sight of their ailing former ruler of nearly 30 years lying in a hospital bed inside the courtroom’s cage, where defendants traditionally sit during trials in Egypt.
During early sessions, the trial was bogged down by frequent commotion and arguments in the courtroom between the defense and the lawyers representing the protesters. It also became harder for media to cover the proceeding after the judge imposed a ban with high ranking Egyptian officials summoned to testify.
Several pro-Mubarak supporters held banners of the former president, while families of the victims that died in protests carried pictures of their deceased relatives, an AFP correspondent said.
“The trial is a sham and the gang still rules,” the families chanted.
“We removed Mubarak, we got Hussein. To hell with both of them,” they shouted in reference to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak’s longtime defense minister who is now running the country.
The trial came to a halt when lawyers asked that presiding judge Ahmed Refaat be replaced, a request that was subsequently rejected on December 7.
Mubarak is the first leader to be toppled in the so-called Arab Spring uprisings to appear before a court.
Ever since the trial began in August, many in the country have been riveted by the sight of their ailing former ruler of nearly 30 years lying in a hospital bed inside the courtroom’s cage, where defendants traditionally sit during trials in Egypt.
During early sessions, the trial was bogged down by frequent commotion and arguments in the courtroom between the defense and the lawyers representing the protesters.
The first hearing on August 3 was broadcast live on television, but Refaat soon ordered the cameras out.
The judge drew the ire of lawyers representing Mubarak’s alleged victims after he issued a media gag order on testimony by high-profile witnesses, including Tantawi.
In statements after his testimony, Tantawi said Mubarak had never ordered the shooting of protesters.
But despite the media frenzy at the start of the case, Mubarak’s fate has since been overshadowed by deadly clashes between the army and people protesting against the military junta that took over when the long-time president resigned.
Attention was also diverted to the first post-revolution legislative elections which begun on November 28, in which Islamists have emerged as front-runners.
It is widely expected that the resumption of the trial will be merely procedural, with little discussion of the accusations against Mubarak.
But lawyers supporting the former president are hoping to clear his name.
Yussri Abdel Razek, who heads the defense committee -- which includes four Kuwaiti lawyers -- said Tuesday he had obtained “new documents that will prove Mubarak’s innocence.”
Mubarak resigned on February 11 after three decades of autocratic rule following a popular uprising in which more than 6,000 were also injured.
He is being held in a military hospital, where he receives treatment for a heart condition. His lawyer Farid al-Deeb says Mubarak suffers from stomach cancer.
Ever since the trial began in August, many in the country have been riveted by the sight of their ailing former ruler of nearly 30 years lying in a hospital bed inside the courtroom’s cage, where defendants traditionally sit during trials in Egypt.
During early sessions, the trial was bogged down by frequent commotion and arguments in the courtroom between the defense and the lawyers representing the protesters. It also became harder for media to cover the proceeding after the judge imposed a ban with high ranking Egyptian officials summoned to testify.
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