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| Hosni Mubarak 'interview' never happened, says his lawyer | Hosni Mubarak 'interview' never happened, says his lawyer |
| (8 days later) | |
| At Egyptian newsstands on Sunday, one paper sold faster than usual. It was the broadsheet al-Watan, which splashed with the dramatic tale of an intrepid reporter who burst from a crowded courtroom and through several lines of security to secure an interview with Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's ousted dictator. | At Egyptian newsstands on Sunday, one paper sold faster than usual. It was the broadsheet al-Watan, which splashed with the dramatic tale of an intrepid reporter who burst from a crowded courtroom and through several lines of security to secure an interview with Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's ousted dictator. |
| The story marked Mubarak's first public intervention since 2011 – and it was worth the wait. Mubarak unexpectedly used the opportunity to argue that his successor Mohamed Morsi needs more time to effect change. "He is a new president," Mubarak apparently told al-Watan, "who has assumed heavy duties for the first time, and we should not judge him now." | The story marked Mubarak's first public intervention since 2011 – and it was worth the wait. Mubarak unexpectedly used the opportunity to argue that his successor Mohamed Morsi needs more time to effect change. "He is a new president," Mubarak apparently told al-Watan, "who has assumed heavy duties for the first time, and we should not judge him now." |
| It was quite the scoop – but for one small problem. Mubarak's lawyer claims the interview never took place. "The whole interview is a lie," Farid el-Deeb told state media on Sunday. "I talked to the president [Hosni Mubarak] and he confirmed he never spoke to the journalist." | It was quite the scoop – but for one small problem. Mubarak's lawyer claims the interview never took place. "The whole interview is a lie," Farid el-Deeb told state media on Sunday. "I talked to the president [Hosni Mubarak] and he confirmed he never spoke to the journalist." |
| The reporter in question, Mohamed Sheikh, was photographed next to a helicopter similar to the one that transported Mubarak between the prison and the courthouse where Mubarak is on trial for abuses committed during his 30-year reign. But the lawyer maintained the photographs were not of Mubarak's transport, that the story was a fabrication, and that Mubarak's alleged views were instead adapted from recent television appearances he himself had made. | The reporter in question, Mohamed Sheikh, was photographed next to a helicopter similar to the one that transported Mubarak between the prison and the courthouse where Mubarak is on trial for abuses committed during his 30-year reign. But the lawyer maintained the photographs were not of Mubarak's transport, that the story was a fabrication, and that Mubarak's alleged views were instead adapted from recent television appearances he himself had made. |
| Al-Watan has a chequered reputation. Its editor is under separate investigation for allegedly falsifying a report about an Islamist terrorist cell. But a senior editor told the Guardian the paper stood by the story, while Sheikh said he was able to speak to Mubarak after he wandered from the courtroom to an adjacent chamber where Mubarak was awaiting an airlift back to prison. "Mubarak did not realise I was a journalist," Sheikh said. "He thought I was just a guy in the room. People who are working around him have complete freedom to talk to him." | Al-Watan has a chequered reputation. Its editor is under separate investigation for allegedly falsifying a report about an Islamist terrorist cell. But a senior editor told the Guardian the paper stood by the story, while Sheikh said he was able to speak to Mubarak after he wandered from the courtroom to an adjacent chamber where Mubarak was awaiting an airlift back to prison. "Mubarak did not realise I was a journalist," Sheikh said. "He thought I was just a guy in the room. People who are working around him have complete freedom to talk to him." |
| Sheikh said he did not record his clandestine interview so as not to arouse suspicion. But he quoted Mubarak as expressing concern for the state of Egypt, and "in pain about all the factories that are being shut down and it saddens me every time I see the new cities that I built and all the accomplishments I made possible to the country being destroyed in a matter of seconds". | Sheikh said he did not record his clandestine interview so as not to arouse suspicion. But he quoted Mubarak as expressing concern for the state of Egypt, and "in pain about all the factories that are being shut down and it saddens me every time I see the new cities that I built and all the accomplishments I made possible to the country being destroyed in a matter of seconds". |
| Mubarak apparently added that he was upset to see the effect of Egypt's failing economy on the country's poor. "I am very, very sad, and I feel sorry for the helpless citizens," Mubarak supposedly said. "I've said it before, history shall witness, and I say it again. I'm really sorry for the poor and people with limited incomes and the condition they've reached." | Mubarak apparently added that he was upset to see the effect of Egypt's failing economy on the country's poor. "I am very, very sad, and I feel sorry for the helpless citizens," Mubarak supposedly said. "I've said it before, history shall witness, and I say it again. I'm really sorry for the poor and people with limited incomes and the condition they've reached." |
| Mubarak was toppled from power by a popular revolution sparked – among several other causes – by harsh living standards. He is also on trial for complicity in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising that toppled him from power. | Mubarak was toppled from power by a popular revolution sparked – among several other causes – by harsh living standards. He is also on trial for complicity in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising that toppled him from power. |
| Should his comments turn out to be true, they would constitute the weekend's second unlikely fillip for Morsi, who has been under sustained criticism for months from secular politicians and hardline Islamists alike. On Saturday, Egypt's army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ruled out a coup against Morsi's government, ending weeks of speculation about the army's intentions. | Should his comments turn out to be true, they would constitute the weekend's second unlikely fillip for Morsi, who has been under sustained criticism for months from secular politicians and hardline Islamists alike. On Saturday, Egypt's army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ruled out a coup against Morsi's government, ending weeks of speculation about the army's intentions. |
| "No one should hope that the army is the solution," said Sisi. "Standing in a voting line for 10 or 15 hours is better than destroying the country." | "No one should hope that the army is the solution," said Sisi. "Standing in a voting line for 10 or 15 hours is better than destroying the country." |
| In February, Sisi implied in a Facebook post that the army would act to save the Egyptian state from collapse, an intervention that many interpreted as the precursor to a coup. Several anti-Brotherhood newspapers have since launched a campaign encouraging the army to intervene, with some sections of the non-Islamist opposition privately hoping that an army coup would provide them with a shortcut to power. Following recent allegations of military abuse, Morsi chose to strongly praise the army, underscoring the importance of keeping the institution onside. | In February, Sisi implied in a Facebook post that the army would act to save the Egyptian state from collapse, an intervention that many interpreted as the precursor to a coup. Several anti-Brotherhood newspapers have since launched a campaign encouraging the army to intervene, with some sections of the non-Islamist opposition privately hoping that an army coup would provide them with a shortcut to power. Following recent allegations of military abuse, Morsi chose to strongly praise the army, underscoring the importance of keeping the institution onside. |
| Sisi's speech on Saturday, said Yasser el-Shimy, Egypt analyst for the Crisis Group, is therefore a clear attempt "to put to rest the notion that the army is going to step in and therefore allow the non-Islamist opposition to come to power. That notion has been completely exhausted and the implication is that the opposition needs to get involved in the political process and focus on elections and campaigning, and that they should not seek shortcuts. | Sisi's speech on Saturday, said Yasser el-Shimy, Egypt analyst for the Crisis Group, is therefore a clear attempt "to put to rest the notion that the army is going to step in and therefore allow the non-Islamist opposition to come to power. That notion has been completely exhausted and the implication is that the opposition needs to get involved in the political process and focus on elections and campaigning, and that they should not seek shortcuts. |
| "Mubarak is irrelevant at this stage. He does not have a popular base that is beholden to whatever statement that he makes. But a lot of people in the opposition have been pinning their hopes on the military to overthrow Morsi and basically press a reset button on the entire transition. And for the first time, the ministry of defence has come out and said it clearly and in no uncertain terms that the army is out of the political equation." | "Mubarak is irrelevant at this stage. He does not have a popular base that is beholden to whatever statement that he makes. But a lot of people in the opposition have been pinning their hopes on the military to overthrow Morsi and basically press a reset button on the entire transition. And for the first time, the ministry of defence has come out and said it clearly and in no uncertain terms that the army is out of the political equation." |
| Mubarak's retrial, meanwhile, has been adjourned until 8 June to give the case's new judge further time to assess more than 55,000 pages of new evidence. While his release would likely provoke considerable fury, most Egyptians are not following the case with the same interest that they did when Mubarak was first sentenced last June, in a judgement that was successfully appealed this January. His retrial was not even the lead item on state radio bulletin. | Mubarak's retrial, meanwhile, has been adjourned until 8 June to give the case's new judge further time to assess more than 55,000 pages of new evidence. While his release would likely provoke considerable fury, most Egyptians are not following the case with the same interest that they did when Mubarak was first sentenced last June, in a judgement that was successfully appealed this January. His retrial was not even the lead item on state radio bulletin. |
| Now Egypt has more pressing problems: an economic crisis, which has sent millions into poverty, and in Morsi, a new authoritarian leader. Friday's arrest of Ahmed Maher, a high-profile opposition activist who played a key role in the 2011 revolution, highlighted how little the state's treatment of protesters has changed. | Now Egypt has more pressing problems: an economic crisis, which has sent millions into poverty, and in Morsi, a new authoritarian leader. Friday's arrest of Ahmed Maher, a high-profile opposition activist who played a key role in the 2011 revolution, highlighted how little the state's treatment of protesters has changed. |
| Additional reporting by Mowaffaq Safadi. | Additional reporting by Mowaffaq Safadi. |
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