The Fall of a Tyrant –Justice Prevails

History will record that Hosni Mubarak is the first head of state to be tried by a court in Egyptian history. The people of Egypt have demanded his removal and he surrendered his authority to military forces on February 11, 2011.

During the past three decades, Mubarak and his corrupt regime have abused the Egyptian public’s trust in many unthinkable ways. Mr. Mubarak and those who surround him have treated the people and Egypt as a whole as if it were a private ranch and those who were in it as serfs.

During the more than thirty years of authoritarian rule, those who objected or criticized Hosni Mubarak policy ended up in prison. Those who stole the public wealth were not held accountable due to the absence of accountability and transparency. During the previous three decades, fraudulent elections to parliament were standard procedure and the ruling party nominated the members to serve in the Egyptian parliament.

Furthermore, during Mubarak’s rule, Egypt lost its leadership of the Arab world and became a minor and uninfluential member in the Middle East region. Hosni Mubarak surrendered Egypt’s leading role and dignity to appease U.S. politicians and many of them were tools in the hands of Israeli politicians.

Since the dawn of civilization, more than five thousand years, Egypt was the leading power in the region. Under Mubarak he marginalized Egypt’s role and the public ended up paying the price politically, economically and socially.

That era is over, and the young people who initiated the revolution on January 25^th should be saluted for their courage and convictions.

A new chapter of democracy emerged as a result of that revolution, which did not prevail until February 11, 2011. This is reflected in the investigation of previous high government officials who are in prison, accused of a broad range of crimes, from acts of corruption and theft of public wealth to crimes committed against protestors.

This new democratic trend reflects that nobody is above the law. Many people in Egypt were in doubt of that, until the general public prosecutor began his investigation of Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, Jamal and Alaa.

The whole world was watching when the prosecutor announced that the three of them were to be put in prison for 15 days for further investigations and a trial in Egypt’s criminal court.

Both sons Jamal and Alaa are now in Torra prison in Cairo and their father is still in the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh. When he recovers, he will be sent to Torra prison.

That legal decision affirmed that the 25^th of January Revolution opened a new chapter in the history of Egypt. Nobody is above the law.