After the sentence

The trial of the century has taken place, along with the sentencing session, following a considerable time of suspicion. Judge Ahmed Rifaat issued the verdict with a political speech par excellence, in which he congratulated the Egyptian people on their revolution and held the former regime responsible for the disasters to have inflicted the country. Then, he pronounced a sentence that provoked great anger in the Egyptian streets, where it was perceived as a political measure aiming to protect Mubarak's inner circle, as he acquitted Mubarak’s two sons Alaa and Gamal, the Interior Minister's six aides, and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem of all charges. In his sentence and judgment, Judge Ahmed Rifaat relied on the documents presented, yet it also seems he was governed by personal sentiment as he approached the end of his professional career, for he definitely sought to go out in an eternal moment of glory. We must not ignore the fact that the prosecution office in Egypt, following the revolution, was put under tremendous public pressure to prosecute the regime. Today, however, the prosecution office has intensified this pressure, in view of the results of the trial and the legal loopholes in the prosecution claims, submitted after the expiration of the required legal period. It goes without saying that such prosecuting claims would have been subjected to extensive revision had they been presented under ordinary circumstances. Yet, the attorney-general himself (the same individual appointed by Hosni Mubarak) was pressurized into levying whatsoever charges against symbols of the former regime, in order to avoid possible suspicion. Once the sentence was pronounced, the judicial hall plunged into total chaos as the masses strongly objected to the outcome. Subsequently, demonstrations were staged in more than one city in Egypt, and political statements were issued by different political party leaders seeking to hijack the masses and exploit their reactions politically. It was natural then that there was an influx of huge numbers into Tahrir square, and "demands" were made by people who protested to "speak" in the name of the revolution. Everyone was making the same demand that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) must step aside and allow a revolutionary presidential council to take over. They proposed that the council must consist of the top five presidential candidates who won the most votes in the recent election. The Freedom and Justice Party hijacked the atmosphere and insisted that it was the power stimulating the revolution, skillfully playing the cards in its possession to inflict a defeat upon its rival in the runoff election, General Ahmed Shafiq. Revolutionary statements emerged mocking Shafiq's objective of rising to power through the presidential election. The Freedom and Justice Party's chosen candidate Mohammed Mursi now believes he can win the battle because Shafiq will be severely "harmed" by the publicly unwelcome sentences from the Mubarak trial, and this will result in more votes being directed towards Mursi. Revolutionary parties demanding the formation of a presidential council, along with the invalidation of the election results, will not find much sympathy from the Muslim Brotherhood and its party, for example. As a result, the revolutionary and public mobility objecting to the Mubarak court rulings will clash with the political projects, objectives and trends of other parties. This will truly prove that the "revolution" is completely divided whenever its objectives are applied on the ground, and that the prime motive of political parties is to rise to power, rather than act in the public interest. Thus, contrary to the Mohammed Mursi’s prediction, different social classes that voted previously for Shafiq may vote for him again, as long as they continue to see a revolutionary scene that is chaotic, dispersed and frightening, rather than reassuring. The Mubarak trial was a necessary judicial phase that has now passed, yet its political consequences continue to emerge, and the days to come will reveal their impact in the ballot boxes of the presidential runoff election. - Asharq Alawsat Newspaper  -