CAIRO - The entire nation was waiting for the trial of the century – that of former president Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in February 2011 after 18 days of peaceful demonstrations in Tahrir Square. Justice Ahmed Refaat sentenced Hosni Mubarak, the first former leader to be tried in person since the beginning of the Arab Spring, and his interior minister Habib el-Adly to life imprisonment for their part in killing protesters in 2011. In the same case, four Interior Ministry officials and two local security chiefs were cleared of complicity in the killing of protesters. This verdict satisfied some people, but shocked others, because the police dealt toughly with the demonstrators from day one of the revolution. Many people wanted Mubarak and el-Adly sentenced to death. Shortly after the verdict, tens of thousands of Egyptians protested in Tahrir Square, demanding Mubarak and el-Adly be hanged and the others sent to jail, paying the price for the 846 people who were killed and the 6,000 who were injured in the first 18 days of the revolution, just before the toppling of Mubarak. "This is unfair. They postpone the trial for ten months, then sentence Mubarak and el-Adly to life and declare the others innocent! It's incredible!" says Ahmed Mahdi, a 26-year-old engineer. "There have been so many martyrs and bloodshed; this verdict is unsatisfactory for most Egyptians, especially for the martyrs' families. Those who were acquitted innocent were expected to be jailed.” Mahdi adds that this verdict will affect the voting in the run-off slated for June 16 and 17. It will boost Shafiq's chances of attracting more voters, especially those who are hesitating between choosing Shafiq or Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. "We need to purge the judiciary; we need to purge all the corrupt authorities in the country," stresses Mahdi, who protested in Tahrir after the verdict. "The judge made an excellent speech before delivering the verdict, but he was just lulling us into a false sense of security. He really shocked us. We didn't expect this lenient verdict, after such strong words in praise of the revolution,” In his ‘excellent' speech, Refaat talked about a new dawn on January 25, 2011, bringing good news for Egypt after 30 years of darkness. He referred to the Egyptians' demanding that they be treated with dignity as human beings and an end to the corruption of their regime and politicians. Refaat said that the sons of the nation rose up peacefully, demanding a better future for Egypt – justice, freedom and democracy after decades of humiliation and unfairness, because of the corruption of their leaders, who lost all awareness of the sufferings of others. Some lawyers said that Refaat made a mistake to make a speech, something extraordinary in a court. But other lawyers said he was right to do so, as this was an extraordinary trial. "We can't say that the verdict was unfair," says Hanan Roushdi, a 28-year-old housewife. The judiciary is a vital institution in any country; we can't accuse it of being biased.” Hanan believes that the judge's verdict was the right one, based on the papers in the lawsuit. A judge cannot give a verdict just to make people happy; he should base his verdict on the documents within hand. “The whole nation was waiting for this trial. Refaat preferred to be fair rather than a hero who just wanted to satisfy the Egyptians. “The verdict has not had an effect on the presidential elections. The date of the trial was already fixed before the first round of election results were known, so it hasn't made any difference,” adds Hanan. Many people reacted strongly to the verdict, especially as the hearing coincided with the second anniversary of the death of Khaled Saeed. Saeed died on June 6, 2010, beaten to death by police in Alexandria. The disputed circumstances of his death were one of the catalysts for the revolution. "We're tired of the instability and we really need a break. The country needs tranquillity,” says Mohamed Moustafa, 31, who works in customer services. “It's unacceptable to protest all the time. We must respect and trust the State authorities, according to rules of democracy. We must respect the judiciary and get on with life. We must try and fix the economy and look to the future.”
