CAIRO: An Egyptian criminal court announced on Tuesday that September 11 would be the beginning of the trial for those accused in the “Battle of Camel” attack in downtown Cairo that left hundreds dead and injured on February 2 at the height of the Egyptian revolution. The court is putting 25 persons on trial on charges of conspiring to kill protesters, hiring and paying thugs to attack Tahrir square. The images of the attack were seen on live television across the world and sparked massive outrage among the international community. Many activists in Egypt say that the attack was the final straw that began the unfolding of the Egyptian government, as millions then poured onto the streets in the final 9 days of the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak and his three-decades old regime. The list of accusers include Safwat al-Shareif, former Secretory General of the deposed National Democratic Party (NDP) and speaker of the Shura Council, the upper house of Parliament, and one of Mubarak's close aides as well as Fathy Sorour, former speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, or People's Assembly. The list also include former military production chief Mohamed al-Ghamarawy, former Parliament members, top NDP executives, lawyers, police officers and generals. The prosecution plans to confront the accusers with testimonies of some 87 witnesses. The eye witnesses include journalists, lawyers, businessmen and horse stable owners. The prosecution is presenting its case based on the fact that the attack was organized and planned via direct orders from NDP leaders and other figures who paid people with criminal pasts to attack the peaceful protesters in Tahrir. The camel battle holds a special place in the history of 18 days of the Egyptian popular uprising. On the afternoon of February 2, protesters were attacked by scores of men on horses and camels armed with swords, batons and sticks, who randomly assaulted people in the square, dragging some for meters before beating them with the weapons. The men on camels and horses closed off the exits of the square, ambushing people inside which helped see the number of deaths sore. BM
