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            Egypt's Mubarak Gets Life Imprisonment in Historic Trial

   by Diaa Bekheet

   Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has received a sentence of life
   in prison for complicity in the killing of hundreds of anti-government
   protesters during last year's 18-day uprising that forced him to resign
   on February 11. Mubarak's interior minister Habib El Adly received
   similar sentence.
   The verdict was given in a makeshift court, a lecture hall once named
   after Mubarak in the police academy in Cairo, amid unprecedented
   security. Crowds outside the court shouted as they watched the event
   live on a giant screen.
   Mubarak was grim-faced and silent as Presiding Judge Ahmed Refaat
   handed down the life sentence for the 84-year-old former leader.
   Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, were acquitted on corruption
   charges.
   VOA correspondent Elizabeth Arrott reports on Twitter that scuffles
   broke out in the Cairo courtroom after the verdicts for Mubarak's sons
   were announced.
   The former president's trial began in August last year. His court
   appearances were striking, as he was photographed lying down on a
   stretcher inside a defendant's cage with iron bars.
   His conviction sends a powerful message to other political and military
   leaders in Egypt. It is seen as a big lesson to the country's next
   president to ensure that he can no longer act with impunity.

   Millions of people in Egypt and other countries watched the verdict on
   live television, including this Washington-based editor.
   But the most populous Arab state is bitterly divided over him. Many
   believe that Egypt enjoyed peace under his 30-year rule. Others believe
   that under him, Egypt lost its status in the Middle East, and plunged
   into poverty and runaway corruption.
   The verdict comes at a politically sensitive time, and is not expected
   to bring a defenitive end to Mubarak's era.
   Many Egyptians are deeply disappointed by the choice they now face as
   Egypt gears up for a presidential runoff slated for June 16-17.  It is
   between Islamist cadidate Mohamed Morsi and Mubarak's close ally and
   last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/mubarak_verdict/1146288.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/mubarak_verdict/1146288.html