Tahrir Square closed ahead of Egypt protests
Islamist and pro-revolutionary groups call for separate protests after the dismissal of charges against Mubarak.
Cairo’s Tahrir Square has been closed for the second time after the announcement of a court verdict dropping charges against former President Hosni Mubarak for killing protesters, state media has reported.
The court also acquitted Mubarak and others of corruption charges.
Following the decision, hundreds took to Tahrir Square to protest against the verdict, leading to the closure of the square. The square was reopened early on Monday for traffic before being closed off again in the afternoon.
After the protests, troops sealed-off Tahrir using armoured vehicles and barbed wire, but reactionary demonstrations led to clashes on its outskirts, which led to the death of two, including a child.
Various groups, including Islamist organisations as well as pro-revolutionary groups, vowed to protest against the dismissal of charges against Mubarak starting from Tuesday, but also refused to co-ordinate with each other.
The Constitution Party, Strong Egypt Party, Bread and Freedom Party, April 6 Youth Movement, Youth for Justice and Freedom and Resistance student movement announced a “revolutionary week” at a press conference on Sunday.
Egypt’s prosecutor-general has issued an order to file an appeal against the dismissal of the charges.
In May he was sentenced to three years in jail for embezzling public funds, after being detained, pending trial, from April 2011 to August 2013.
This detention period in Egypt is regarded as time served and will be deducted from the sentence.
Mubarak’s lawyer on Sunday had indicated that the former leader could be released early after having served two-thirds of the corruption sentence.
“Under a recent legal amendment, there can be a release once two-thirds of a sentence has been served,” Farid al-Deeb said.