Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, rolled in and out on a stretcher, made a brief court appearance in Cairo on Monday, media reports say.
Mubarak, 83, who was hospitalized in 2011 for a heart condition, faces charges of being complicit when security forces killed more than 800 protesters January and February 2010 during the unrest that lead to his ouster.
He stands trial with his two sons, six assistants, and the former interior minister, who all face similar charges. The court said Mubarak would appear in court again this week.
“The judge surprised by announcing that the prosecution will plead its case for the next three days,” Amir Salem, a lawyer for one of the plaintiffs, told Daily News Egypt on Monday. “This indicates that the pace of the case is speeding up. After the prosecution, the plaintiffs will plead their case and will be followed by the defense.”
There has been widespread complaints over the slowness of the case to bring to justice the regime that was overthrown last February.
Mubarak is the first leader ousted in the Arab Spring uprisings to appear in court. His trial resumed last Wednesday after a three-monthlong break, but then was again postponed until Jan. 2.
