Mubarak to be tried for deaths of protesters

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: Al Jazeera

Egypt's public prosecutor has referred former president Hosni Mubarak to stand trial in a criminal court for his alleged role in the killing of anti-government protesters during the country's uprising.

The charges included "intentional murder, attempted killing of some demonstrators ... misuse of influence and deliberately wasting public funds and unlawfully making private financial gains and profits", the prosecutor said in a statement on Tuesday.

The prosecutor also referred Mubarak's two sons, Ala'a and Gamal, and a close confidant, Hussien Salam, to stand trial in a criminal court as well.

Salam, a businessman, has been blamed for a controversial deal to supply Israel with gas at lower than usual prices. He has fled the country.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/05/2011524132656755534.html

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Good... now I wonder when our bankster, insurance and war criminals
will come to trial?........ Never mind

[valerief]

1. Wow, putting a national leader on trial. What a concept. I wish we could do that. nt

[harun]

2. +1

[makhno]

3. That's going to help

I'm sure Assad or Saleh have now shelved whatever plans they might have had to "go peacefully."

[JackRiddler]

5. Clearly, Assad and Saleh (and Gaddafi and the Bahraini princes) never had such plans.

Neither did Mubarak, by the way. It was his bad luck and Egypt's good fortune that an army massacre of the protesters was impossible, because the soldiers would have certainly turned on the officers who ordered it. So the Army brass decided to save themselves and get rid of him.

Besides which, isn't what you are saying effectively carte blanche for every dictator: go ahead and rule and plunder long as you can. When you get in trouble, immunity awaits. Isn't it carte blanche for every act of elite criminality? "You're too big to fail, so steal away!"

[makhno]

6. Yes

If all it takes is a promise of a peaceful retirement to get a nation rid of a leader who's outstayed his welcome, yes, immunity from prosecution is better than blood running in the streets.

Exhibit #1: Boris Yeltsin.

[JackRiddler]

7. "If all it takes..."

IF.

Mubarak never would have gone for it. He ordered massacres. The army had the choice of murdering the protesters or deposing the president. There was no compromise agreement.

I can think of many examples of dictators who fought to the end. Saleh, Gaddafi, Assad and the Bahraini princes have chosen to be among them.

I can think of an example of a compromise along your lines: South Africa.

You might acknowledge that getting away with life and plunder intact serves as a bad example to future dictators.

You might also be expecting too much in the way of angelic nature, to think that peoples who suffer murder and plunder for decades are going to forgive some of these monsters.

[Posteritatis]

8. Pretty sure Assad shelved anything to do with acting peacefully awhile ago. (nt)

[defendandprotect]

4. kr