Monday, April 29, 2013

Mubarak's Appeal Granted by Judge who Recused Himself


President Mubarak held power over Egypt for 30 years. The revolution that took place in several cities in Egypt took Mubarak out of office and later made Morsi the new president. During this revolution, many nonviolent protesters were killed, and Mubarak faced a trial in which he was charged over these killings. Mubarak appealed to these charges and on April 13th his appeal was granted, “technically freeing him in the case involving the killing of nonviolent protesters.” Nonetheless, Mubarak was to
remain behind bars due to new charges that we added to the other allegations.

Mubarak waving at his supporters during trial
The retrial that was to take place on Saturday “was delayed after the judge recused himself and walked out, leaving the court without leadership.” The court requires that a new judge must be found within the next 60 days. The reasons behind the judge’s recusing were to health reasons, as stated by Mubarak’s lawyer. Needless to say, relatives of the victims that died during the revolution were outraged. One of the victims explains, "the government is not giving us the moral support we need, and they're allowing this circus of a trial to continue. We were hoping for a death sentence, but the way it's going, we may see Mubarak free, and his sons free, which means my brother died for nothing.”

Mubarak’s trials are of extreme importance, not only to the relatives of those who died, but also to the international community. Many human rights crimes were committed during these event and need to be punished with the weight of justice. The delays occurring during Mubarak’s trials are antagonizing those who opposed his regime and are making the situation prolong. These issues could proliferate the conflict trap theory that seems to be happening in Egypt. Although, president Morsi is the new leader of Egypt, a large control from the military can still be felt and the sense of clear victory is lost. If the trials continue to prolong, the people affected might take matters into their hands and oppose to the current court system.

What needs to be done by policymakers in this process is to move quickly and find a judge replacement. It is imperative to provide information to citizens of all the steps that are taking place leading to Mubarak’s trial. In order to mitigate the conflict, the government has to show that the situation has not stagnated and it is in the process of coming to its end. 


  • Brumfield, Ben, Reza Sayah, and Journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy. "Egypt's Mubarak Wins Petition but Will Stay Detained." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.


6 comments:

  1. The relatives of the victims are deeply concerned that Mubarak will be found innocent. If he is indeed found innocent, the government will lose a sense of legitimacy in the eye of the people, because they will feel that the government is not supporting the people. This trial is a symbol for the future of the government and whether or not they will be successful in the future.

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  2. I agree that policy makers need to make a quick decision. This issue has become a concern with both the international community as well as the families of the protestors, thus there is a lot of attention focused on an outcome for the trial. If the government stalls, the possibility of the government losing legitimacy that Kelsey has mentioned will become a problem.

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  3. The government has already gained some legitimacy from the international community by having a trial for Mubarak instead of executing him like the Libyans did to Gaddafi. I agree that the government should not stall this trial in order to maintain their legitimacy.

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  4. I agree that the government needs to keep the trial moving in order to retain the small amount of legitimacy that the new Egyptian government has garnered from things like holding free and fair elections. If Mubarak's trail were to be thrown out on some technicality then I'm sure the Egyptian citizens would express their outrage and demand answers from the government, thereby detracting from its level of legitimacy.

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  5. I think that this trial is important to legitimize the new regime in the eyes of the people, but a revolution only makes bureaucratic more of a nightmare. I understand people's anxiousness to have Mubarak tried, but it is more important that he is tried properly, especially if people desire specific outcomes. A hasty trial isn't necessarily going to give the people what they want. He has already been acquitted of other charges, so it should be more important to the international community and the people of Egypt that he is tried properly to ensure he is found guilty of the crimes he committed.

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  6. What I find incredibly interesting, but also frightening, is how many supporters of Mubarak's still exist, who feel that his trial is unjustified and that he did not commit any of the atrocious human right crimes he has been accused of. I agree with everyone else about the importance of this trial in legitimizing the power and stronghold of the new Egyptian government. Whatever unfolds will speak volumes to the international community, as well as to the people of Egypt, regarding the new government's legitimacy. One positive note is the court's recent denial of his appeal for release, given the charges of illicit gains.

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