I applaud the Egyptian courts for Mubarak's life sentence instead of death
An Egyptian judge convicted former president Hosni Mubarak of complicity in the killings of protesters during the uprising that ended his 30-year rule and sentenced him on Saturday to life in prison.
It was the first time a deposed Arab leader had faced an ordinary court in person since a wave of uprisings shook the Arab world last year, sweeping away four entrenched rulers.
The ruling came at a politically fraught time for Egypt, two weeks before a runoff in its first free presidential election that will pit the Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned under Mubarak, against the deposed autocrat's last prime minister.
Mr. Mubarak, propped up on a hospital stretcher and wearing dark sunglasses, heard the verdict with a stony expression. He had been wheeled into the cage used in Egyptian courtrooms, while the other defendants stood.
Demonstrators outside the court, many of whom had been demanding the death penalty for Mubarak, greeted the verdict with fireworks and cries of "Allahu akbar (God is great)".
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0602/Egypt-s-Mubarak-gets-life-in-prison-for-complicity-in-protesters-deathsThey showed restraint while delivering justice. I hope the people of Egypt can mark this day as the next in a long line of steps towards healing.
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