Mubarak verdict’s heavy impact for Egypt

TEHRAN, June 9 (MNA) -- The final verdict of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s trial, in which he and some senior members of his dictatorial regime were sentenced to life in prison and others were acquitted, clearly proved the trial was politicized. The ruling also led to street demonstrations and clashes, and the revolutionaries are continuing to hold protests calling for the realization of their legitimate demands. As expected, the verdict had an impact on the country’s political situation in the last few days before the presidential run-off election, which is scheduled to be held on June 16 and 17. Mohamed Morsi, the chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, has promised to rescind the verdict if he becomes president and to prepare the stage for a fair trial of Mubarak and his inner circle. His chief rival, former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, described the verdict as just and reasonable in order to garner the support of secular and anti-Islamist voters in the run-off election. Some political analysts say that given Mubarak’s age and poor health, the execution of the former dictator, which the revolutionaries are demanding, would not solve any of the country’s problems. They believe that the court should issue harsher sentences for his leading assistants and his sons Gamal and Alaa. This could appease the protesters and help maintain the image and reputation of the judiciary, which has been sullied during the trial. All this indicates that the verdict could not remain a purely legal issue and will continue to play a significant role in Egypt’s long-awaited political transformation. However, the mere act of sentencing Mubarak and his interior minister, Habib El-Adly, to life in prison can be interpreted as a positive move. The ruling is a warning to dictatorial regimes across the globe that all despots will experience the same fate sooner or later. In other words, no one, including the Saudi Arabian monarchist system and other autocratic regimes in the Arab world, can escape from justice and the will of the people. Hassan Hanizadeh is a political analyst and an expert on Middle Eastern issues based in Tehran. (By Hassan Hanizadeh)