By Heba Fahmy
CAIRO: The trial of 14 defendants involved in killing protesters in Suez during the January 2011 uprising was adjourned to April 11 as civil society lawyer and father of martyr Islam El-Geneidy called on the panel of judges to step down.
After Thursday’s hearing, El-Geneidy told Daily News Egypt that these judges were the ones responsible for releasing defendant Ibrahim Farag on bail, although he is accused of killing 18 protesters.
“The court had released [defendant] Ibrahim Farag for LE 10,000, although he’s responsible for killing 18 of our sons,” El-Geneidy told DNE.
Farag and his son are among the 14 defendants standing trial, however, they were not present during the session.
Farag, a businessman who became known as the “Martyrs’ Assassin,” and his son have allegedly killed 18 protesters and injured hundreds on Jan. 28, 2011, dubbed the “Friday of Anger.” Residents of Suez say the businessmen had strong connections with the police, which they claim, was used to facilitate criminal activities.
The court accepted an appeal to renew the detention of Farag and his son, after the decision to release them caused outrage among Suez residents.
Fathi El-Saeed, their defense lawyer, told DNE that there was a lack of coordination between the court and the interior ministry to have them summoned to attend the trial.
El-Geneidy pointed out that the trial should’ve taken place at the Suez Criminal Court, rather than the New Cairo Court which was far from the scene of the crime.
He added that there were other reasons behind calling on the panel of judges to step down, which he would announce later on.
“The Egyptian judiciary is a corrupt system, still dominated by remnants of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime,” he said.
“We will kill their children like they killed ours,” he added.
However, some defense lawyers said that the call for the panel of judges to step down was baseless.
Tensions marred the beginning of the trial, as the martyrs’ families broke down the courtroom door with one of the barricades. However, police forces did not intervene to avoid being dragged into clashes.
Minor scuffles and an exchange of insults occurred between the families and security forces, as they tried to restore calm.
Security forces allowed lawyers involved in the case to enter the courtroom first, followed by journalists, after which the martyrs’ families broke in.
The families argued that they should be the first to enter because it was their right, adding that “our hearts are burning over our children who died.”
Others believed that the judge wouldn’t allow them to attend the session.
After calm was restored and the session started, Judge Ahmed Reda Mohamed warned the martyrs’ families that any disruption of the session would be dealt with firmly.
“The court will exercise its legal right and put anyone who disrupts the session in the dock, we will not just throw them out of the courtroom,” Reda said addressing the martyrs’ families.
“You will not get your sons’ rights by yelling and fighting,” he added.
Reda urged the families to assist police officers in doing their job and maintaining order.
Civil society lawyer Helmy Morsi told the court that civil society lawyers and the rest of the martyrs families were prevented from entering the courtroom following the scuffles.
The judge went to recess for five minutes, ordering that all civil society lawyers and martyrs’ families be allowed inside the courtroom.
Before the session started, the mothers of the martyrs carried their sons’ pictures outside the courtroom and slammed defense lawyers defending “murderers.”
“Our children were like flowers not thugs…the officers (on trial) are the thugs,” Fatma, mother of martyr Mohamed Mahrous Anwar, shouted outside the courtroom.
The trials of other police officers accused of killing protesters in different parts of the country have so far ended in acquittals. The courts said the policemen were acting in self defense.
“They targeted our unarmed children with their guns and shot them to kill,” said mother of martyr Mahmoud Ahmed.
The families of the defendants were less vocal, giving statements to the media inside the courtroom.
“These defendants didn’t do anything wrong, we want to see what kind of evidence the prosecution has against them,” Mohamed Hussein, brother of defendant and Colonel Hisham Hussein told DNE.
Hussein called for a swift trial, saying that his brother’s life was on hold.
The 14 defendants include security officials accused of killing 17 and injuring 300 protesters in Suez during the 18-day revolt that toppled Mubarak, where more than 800 were killed in mass protests throughout the country.
The first martyr of the Jan. 25 uprising is said to have been killed in Suez on the night of Jan. 25. The port city saw the worst clashes between protesters and the police in the first days of the uprising.
