Middle East News
Mubarak's defence lawyer questions trial legality
Jan 19, 2012, 11:25 GMT
Cairo - The criminal trial of Hosny Mubarak for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown on protesters is illegal and the former Egyptian president should be tried by a military tribunal given his expansive career in the army, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Farid al-Deeb said that, under Egyptian law, Mubarak, 83, was still an honorary chief of the air force, which he commanded for six years until 1979, when president Anwar al-Sadat named him as his deputy.
A military tribunal is likely to show more leniency toward Mubarak, who faces the death penalty if convicted.
Mubarak became president after al-Sadat's assassination by Islamist gunmen in 1981. He faces charges of complicity in the killing of some 850 protesters during the popular uprising that forced him to step down last year after almost 30 years in power.
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