CAIRO (Updated) - A court trying Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak, his interior minister and two sons for ordering the killing of protesters during the January 25 revolution and corruption has summoned the head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Hussein Tantawi, Army Chief of Staff Sami Annan and former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to testify in separate, closed sessions next week. The trial's fourth session Wednesday lasted for eight hours before Chief Judge Ahmed Refaat adjourned it until today, in order to hear two more witnesses. Refaat also ordered the summoning of key officials, as well as the current and former interior ministers, to testify behind closed doors. "The hearings will resume on Thursday, as two more witnesses will be heard," Judge Refaat said, as an ailing Mubarak was flown back to the International Medical Centre, a military hospital where he is temporarily detained. Tantawi will testify on Sunday, followed by Annan on Monday, Suleiman, who briefly acted as a vice president, on Tuesday, current Interior Minister Mansour el-Eissawi on Wednesday and his predecessor, Mahmoud Wagdi, on Thursday, according to the Chief Judge. "All these officials will testify in camera for reasons of national security," Refaat said in response to requests from Mubarak's lawyers and the families of those killed during the protests-cum-revolution. Many Egyptians, including those who still support the former long-serving leader, believe that the testimony of military officials is crucial in determining whether Mubarak ordered the killing of the protesters. "I'm 100 per cent in favour of the summoning decision. This will help achieve justice. However, the details of the testimonies should be revealed to Egyptians," Ahmed Abdel-Ghani, a technician, told the Egyptian Gazette. He added that Judge Refaat is doing a good job and that Egyptians should be proud of his performance and that of the Egyptian judiciary in general. Refaat also acquitted fifth witness in the trial, Captain Mohamed Abdel-Hakim, who was earlier in the hearing charged with giving "false testimony". Prosecutor Moustafa Suleiman said Abdel-Hakim was charged with giving "false testimony in favour of the accused", in the case concerning the killing of hundreds of protesters in Egypt's January-February revolution. He added that Abdel-Hakim testified in court that anti-riot units deployed in Cairo on January 28 had been equipped with blank ammunition and teargas, whereas he had said in previous questioning that live ammunition had been used. "Abdel-Hakim can walk free," said Refaat, a judge remarkable for his self-control in the midst of the chaos caused by lawyers quarrelling over the civil rights for those killed during the revolution. Television footage showed 83-year-old Mubarak arriving at the courtroom in an ambulance and then attending the session on a stretcher, as in the previous sessions. He closed his eyes during the session, which was attended by five Kuwaiti lawyers defending him for the first time. The judge, who suspended proceedings at one point to restore calm, also defended the work of the prosecution against criticism from lawyers acting for victims' families. "They are men of law and justice. They must be respected. They have done great work in investigating this case," he stressed. Outside the court, protesters also voiced frustration at the witnesses' accounts, especially after two more witnesses said live ammunition was not used. A senior police officer told the court on Monday he was not aware of any order to fire on protesters, although he said police were given live ammunition to protect the Interior Ministry. General Hussein Saeed Mohamed Moussa, in charge of communications for State Security, said he believed the decision to issue arms was taken by a senior police officer, Ahmed Ramzi. Ramzi is one of six officers standing trial with the former interior minister, the ex-president and Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal. Alaa shook his head inside the cage at one point, when a lawyer acting for victims' families tearfully addressed the court saying: "Mubarak was the worst president Egypt has ever seen." Input from news agencies
