CAIRO: The South Cairo Criminal Court in Egypt's Fifth Settlement today resumed the trial against defendants in the so-called Battle of the Camel case. The accused are charged with killing peaceful demonstrators in the now-iconic Tahrir Square on February 2 during the January 25 Revolution in an extended clash now known as the Battle of the Camel. Twenty-five former regime members stand accused, many of whom are former members of the disgraced National Democratic Party (NDP). The Court today added four witnesses to the proceedings. All defendants arrived at the Court at 12 p.m. and, with the exception of Mortada Mansour's son and son-in-law, were place inside the Court's dock. Former parliamentarian Talaat Sadat attended the trial with Mortada Mansour. Mortada Mansour, the tenth defendant, today claimed that one of defense witnesses who testified against him in today's session is not a protestor but rather a member of the now-dissolved NDP. Mortada said he would offer documents confirming the witness's identity. The witness was later learned to be Abdul Rahman Baraka, a former parliamentary candidate who campaigned against Mortada in the last elections. “This witness claims he saw me in Mostafa Mahmoud Square urging people to attack protestors in Tahrir Square,” Mansour said. “Mobile phone records however prove that he was in Mansoura until 8 p.m.” Battle of the Camel defendants are divided into three categories, according to Mansour: first, members of the former NDP who distributed funds to thugs to clear the Square; second, those who actually rode camels and horses into the Square; and third, members of Hamas who shot demonstrators of February 2 and 3. Mansour asked the Court to compare the ballistics on bullets that killed protestors in Tahrir Square and those that killed protestors in Arish. During testimony, a witness confirmed that he saw Mansour inciting crowds against Tahrir Square protestors in Mostafa Mahmoud Square. When the witness exited the Courthouse, lawyers defending Mansour attacked him. Security and military forces intervened immediately, ended the clash and detained the witness and the attorneys. Mansour and his legal team objected to the testimony of Mohamed Ali Shourbagy but the Court allowed the witness to testify. “I live in Tahrir Square,” said Shoubagy. After seeing thugs attack protestors in the Square on February 2 he met up with a friend and went to witness the clashes in Tahrir. “I stopped my car on the Sixth of October Bridge. My friend and I walked to Tahrir Square until we reached the Egyptian Museum. We saw a white jeep with about 15 people around it. Mortada Mansour was with three other men in the car.” “I also saw about 250 people breaking pavement chunks into small rocks on the bridge,” Shoubagy continued. “I saw another group under the bridge doing the same. They also had Molotov cocktails. I tried to prevent them from throwing rocks at the protestors but no one listened.” “I noticed that Mansour's car went and came back to its place several times,” he added. Shourbagy also claims to have met members of the April 6 Youth Movement who encouraged him to join in the rock making. “I refused because I considered these acts of thuggery lead by Mansour.” At this point Mansour became enraged and shouted, “Shut up! I am not a thug! You are a liar.” Mansour claims that the Court checked his car and found nothing to corroborate the witness's testimony. The Court then banned Mansour from the room claiming that he was causing chaos. Civil rights attorneys demanded the testimony from former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, Minister of the Interior Mansour el-Issawy and former Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy. They also demanded that the case be merged with the case against ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, his two sons Alaa and Gamal, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and his six security chiefs. Former member of the People's Assembly and defendant Ragab Helal today criticized the media's portrayal of the case. “The media is only concerned with accusations,” said Helal. “The Islamic preacher Safway Hegazy is praising me.” Several defense attorneys for Mansour offered apologies for Mansour's behavior and asked that he be readmitted to the Courtroom. “Mr. Mansour presents his apology,” said Rageay Attya, one of Mansour's attorneys. “He is not ‘Mr.,'” the judge replied. “He is the tenth defendant in the case.” Cairo criminal court in fifth compound decided to adjourn the trial of 25 accused of "The battle of camels" till October 8 to hear the defense witnesses.
