A video still taken from Egyptian State Television showing former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, 83, speaking into a microphone as he lies on a hospital bed inside a cage in a Cairo courtroom, August 3, 2011. UPI/Debbie Hill
CAIRO, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's political party said the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak was a victory for the people.
Mubarak appeared Wednesday on a hospital gurney before a court in Cairo on murder and corruption charges. The ailing 83-year-old president, along with his sons, former interior minister and members of his inner circle are accused of playing a role in the deaths of unarmed civilian protesters during the revolution earlier this year.
Mohamed Saad al-Katani, secretary-general of Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, described the trial as a victory for post-revolution Egypt.
"The presence of Mubarak on a bed inside the dock is a message from the ruling military council that no one is above the law," he was quoted by Egyptian news agency Bikya Masr as saying.
The Muslim Brotherhood was barred from open political activity under Mubarak's regime. It secured 20 percent of the seats in the Egyptian Parliament by running as independents in 2005. It has suggested, however, it won't field a presidential candidate in elections tentative scheduled for next year.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took control after Mubarak's ouster, promised to hold the former regime members accountable, though its faced mounting protests from frustrated Egyptians.
Katani said the Mubarak trial, adjourned to Aug. 15, "is proof that the ruling military council keeps its promise."
