Egypt’s former interior minister charged in deaths of protesters

Egypt’s former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, has been charged by a court of contributing to the killing of protesters who demonstrated against the regime of the toppled President, Hosni Mubarak, state media MENA reported.

Al-Adly and four of his aides are in court, accused of ordering the shooting of the protesters

Abdel Magid Mahmud, Egypt's prosecutor general, explained that al-Adly is accused of the premeditated and deliberate killing of some protesters during the demonstrations that erupted on January 25 in Cairo and other provinces.”

For former security chiefs -- Ismail al-Shaer, Adly Fayed, Ahmed Ramzi and Hassan Abdel Rahman -- were also indicted for allowing the shooting of unarmed protesters. They had been detained by the authorities since March 11.

Various other former security chiefs and many security officers from eleven provinces around Egypt and facing charges related to the killing and wounding of protesters.

The protests and unrest (and the Mubarak government’s brutal crackdown) ultimately led to at least 384 people dead and perhaps more than 6000 wounded.

Al-Adly is also on trial on charges of fraud as part of a widespread investigation by Egypt's new military rulers into the corruption that existed under Mubarak’s regime.

Al-Adly is the first member of Mubarak’s inner circle to undergo trail

Egypt’s security forces and secret police have long been accused of committing human rights abuses, including murder, torture and illegal detentions.

The country’s new interior minister Mansur Essawy (al-Adly’s successor) dissolved the much-feared State Security Investigations, the segment of the interior ministry that monitored political dissent.