CAIRO: A number of prominent lawyers from across the political spectrum set up Saturday a new team to represent martyrs’ families in the case of killing protestors in which ousted president Hosni Mubarak, ex-Minister of Interior Habib Al-Adly and six of his aides are charged.
The lawyers said that the "weak performance" of lawyers representing the civil rights complainants in the first hearing on Aug. 3 warranted a stronger legal representation for the martyrs’ families.
"Their performance was appalling, legally weak and lacked coordination in face of the defendants’ strong defense team," lawyer Montasser Al-Zayat told Daily News Egypt.
The new legal team includes lawyers Essam Al-Eslamboly, Mohamed Al-Damaty, head of freedoms committee at the lawyers’ syndicate, Justice Mahmoud Al-Khodeiry, Essam Sultan, deputy head of Al-Wasat Party, Ahmed Abu Baraka, leading figure in the Freedom and Justice Party, Sameh Ashour, acting president of the Nasserist Party and Al-Zayat.
According to Al-Zayat, the new team has formed a general secretariat to communicate with the judge presiding over the case Ahmed Refaat, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Ministry of Interior to issue entrance permits for the lawyers in the coming sessions.
Mubarak, Al-Adly and six senior police officers stood trial on the Aug. 3 charged with killing protestors during the January 25 uprising, in what was described as the trial of the century.
A number of lawyers protested in front of the courtroom after failing to secure permits to attend the much-anticipated hearing despite carrying powers of attorney from martyrs’ families.
They criticized Refaat and the Minister of Justice Abdel Aziz Al-Gendy.
Mubarak and Al-Adly faced two separate cases before Al-Adly’s judge, Abdel Salam Gomaa, withdrew from the case and referred it to the fifth constituency of the Cairo Criminal Court headed by Refaat to join Mubarak’s case due to the "direct link" between both cases.
Al-Adly’s case was adjourned to Aug. 14 while Mubarak’s case was adjourned to Aug. 15.
Mubarak, who denied all charges, is represented by lawyer, Farid Al-Deeb.
