The Supreme Judicial Council issued a decision Tuesday to hold public trials for those accused in cases of corruption and killing protesters during the 25 January revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak.
In a statement, head of the Court of Cassation Judge Hossam Ghariani said that he has decided to broadcast the proceedings on screens outside the courthouse to allow the public to watch them.
Ghariani also recommended that the trials be transferred to bigger courtrooms to allow the public to attend without causing disturbances in trial proceedings.
During the past few months, a number of political movements and revolutionary coalitions have demanded public trials for Mubarak regime icons and senior police officers involved in killing protesters during the revolution.
In April, the Muslim Brotherhood filed a lawsuit against a decision issued last year by the Supreme Judicial Council that banned media coverage of trials. In the lawsuit, the Brotherhood said that according to the Supreme Constitutional Court, hearings should be made public. The group also stressed that making trials public would help guarantee justice, which explains why the principle is explicitly stated in many countries’ constitutions.
The lawsuit went on to say that the media should be allowed to witness trials and report on them.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
