Lawyer for injured and martyrs will pressure court to hear key testimony of Sami Anan, the ruling military council`s number two.
One of the lawyers representing the injured and families of martyrs in Egypt’s revolution said that he would insist upon the court hearing the testimony of the Egyptian military`s Chief-of-Staff Sami Anan in the trial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
But the court has yet to ask Anan to appear, said the lawyer, Sami Ashour.
Anan is considered one of the most vital witnesses in Mubarak’s trial. His testimony was set for 24 September, but was delayed after a motion was filed by martyrs’ lawyers accusing Judge Ahmed Refaat and the panel of judges presiding over the case of bias against them. Cairo’s Court of Appeal rejected the motion to disqualify Judge Refaat and the panel.
In September, the court had agreed to summon Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council for the Armed Forces, along with Anan, former vice president and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, and former ministers of interior Mansour El-Eissawy and Mahmoud Wagdy. However, so far only Tantawi has given his testimony.
Ashour added that when Mubarak’s trial resumes on 2 January, the prosecution would also demand the recovery of scenes he alleges were deleted from video footage of the clashes that took place around the Egyptian Museum from 25 January to 30 January.
The trial’s fifth session was held on Wednesday in a “calmer atmosphere” following a three-month pause, according to Ashour.
Mubarak is accused of corruption and conspiring to kill nearly 840 unarmed protesters during the revolution that led to his ouster. Six former interior ministry officials face similar charges.
[Developed in partnership with Ahram Online.]