The Hindu : International : Trial of Egypt's leader put off

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Thursday, Jul 07, 2005

International

International

Trial of Egypt's leader put off

Ayman Nour

CAIRO: One of the defendants in the trial of a top Egyptian Opposition leader asked the court on Wednesday for protection after he recanted his testimony against Ayman Nour, saying security agents forced him to make the claims.

``Ayman Nour has nothing to do with forgery,'' defendant Ayman Hassan told the judges on Wednesday from the caged dock in the courtroom. Mr. Hassan's lawyer, Mohammed Barakat, demanded the judges ``protect his client from those who forced him to confess.''

The high-profile trial was adjourned on Wednesday to September 25, likely to be after first multi-candidate presidential elections which is expected by mid September.

Mr. Nour, head of the Opposition al-Ghad party, is the most prominent Opposition figure to announce that he will run. In the trial's first session last week, Mr. Hassan — one of six co-defendants with Mr. Nour — said Mr. Nour ordered him to forge signatures for the al-Ghad party's registration.

But the next session, last Thursday, was thrown into turmoil when Mr. Hassan blurted out in court that he wanted to recant his statements.

The chief judge, Abdel Salam Gomaa, stormed out of the courtroom and adjourned the session before Mr. Hassan could explain — but Mr. Hassan told journalists that security forces had threatened to harm his young nieces if he did not implicate Mr. Nour.

On Wednesday, the judge gave Mr. Hassan a chance to talk, and his allegations were recorded in the court's documents, upon a request by Mr. Nour's defence. — AP

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