JURIST - Paper Chase: Egypt judge sets Mubarak verdict date

[JURIST] An Egyptian judge on Wednesday scheduled the verdict date for former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak [Al Jazeera profile; JURIST news archive] for June 2, with Mubarak declining to address the court before the sentencing and verdict are set to take place. Mubarak could be put to death if convicted in what could be the first guilty verdict [AP report] by the leader's own country in Arab Spring uprisings. Mubarak, who spent almost 30 years in power, is accused of assisting in the killing of protesters during the 18-day uprising that led to over 800 people being killed, mostly by security forces. The prosecution began presenting its case [JURIST report] against Mubarak last month. Mubarak faces charges of complicity by ordering the killings of at least 840 protesters [JURIST report] early last year during the Egyptian revolution [JURIST news archive] that led to Mubarak stepping down from office [JURIST report].

The chief prosecutor in the case against Mubarak in his closing remarks [JURIST report] on Monday again asked the presiding judge, Ahmed Refaat, to give the death penalty [JURIST report] to Mubarak, former interior minister Habib El Adly and four of his aides accused of ordering the killing of anti-government protesters [JURIST news archive] last year. Mustapha Suleiman, the head of the five-person prosecution team, said that Mubarak was responsible for the killings because he was president at the time and failed to use his power to protect the Egyptian people. Mubarak's trial started [JURIST report] in August 2011 and has been making slow progress. The trial resumed in December in the Egyptian court after a two-month adjournment [JURIST reports] allowing the court time to rule on a motion made by lawyers representing the victims' families to have the three-judge panel in the case removed.