The Cassation Court started on Thursday the retrial of former president Hosni Mubarak over his involvement in killing peaceful protesters during the 2011 January revolution.

At the beginning of the hearing, the court received memos from the Cairo Security Directorate notifying it that it could not bring Mubarak from his detention venue (the Maadi Armed Forces Hospital) to the court premises by land transport means due to his health condition that requires constant medical attention.

The memo further noted that Mubarak can be brought to the court via air transport but this option could not be applied in this case because the Cassation Court is located at the High Court of Justice in Downtown Cairo, where no landing spots are available.

Mubarak, 87, was originally sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for conspiring to murder 239 demonstrators, triggering chaos and creating a security vacuum during the 18-day revolt, but an appeals court ordered a retrial.

The retrial was postponed three times during this year due to the inability to bring Mubarak from his detention venue and the inability to relocate the court hearings.

Source: MENA