Arabs Today publishes General’s testimony

Scuffles broke out inside and outside the courtroom as the trial of the former-Egyptian President Scuffles broke out inside and outside the courtroom as the trial of the former-Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, resumed in Cairo. Police witnesses are today expected to reveal details about crackdown on protesters that left hundreds dead. The witnesses are from the central security force, including the head of operations and communications. The prosecution is trying to prove that they received orders to kill unarmed protesters.
However, court proceedings were halted just 40 minutes into Monday's session as lawyers for the prosecution and the defense had to be separated by police. Six people were wounded in clashes between the two parties.
Witnesses said that the fight broke out after a Mubarak supporter displayed a photo of the former president, angering relatives of victims of the uprising.
At least 12 people were arrested outside the army academy where the trial is underway, as pro- and anti-Mubarak groups clashed and threw stones at riot police. Violence had also broken out at the previous two court sessions, where rock throwing had taken place between pro- and anti-Mubarak followers, giving an indication of the emotion that this trial is evoking.
As the trial resumed, a senior police witness, General Hussein Saeed Mohamed Mursi, denied that police used automatic weapons against protesters. Mursi worked as a senior police officer in the police force operations room during the uprising. He has been accused of deleting recordings, but is also acting as a witness in the Mubarak trial.
Mubarak is charged with involvement in the killing of the protesters.
The three other witnesses named by the court - Emad Badr Saeed, Bassim Mohamed el-Otaify and Mahmoud Galal Abdel Hamid - were also police officers in the operations room during the 18 days of protests. Lawyers have justified the officers’ actions as a gesture of gratitude to Mubarak for his support for a US-led coalition that expelled Iraq from Kuwait in 1991.
Mubarak's sons - Alaa and Gamal, Habib el-Adly - the former interior minister, and six senior police officers are also on trial
The Testimony of Major General Husni  Morsi:
Q: what were the orders on the 25th of January?
A: The orders were just to break up demonstrations using tear gas and water.
Q: What are the usual means to halt demonstrations?
A: As far as I know, tear gas, shields and batons.
Q: What were the tools provided to the central security forces?   
A: I don’t know, maybe someone else can tell you about this.
Q: Do you know if official orders were given to the central security forces to deal with the protesters during the revolution with firearms and shotguns?
A: According to what I know, it was only water and tear gas on the first day (the 25th)
Q: How did every officer deal with the orders?
A: Possibly tear gas and water and …. And that’s what I know they have with them. On the 28th, the number of soldiers was increased and they were given instructions to use whatever they have depending on the situation.
Q: Do you know if there was an order to use firearms?
A: Yes, but not on the 25th, I heard that happened on the 28th
Q: Were you offered a technique or an image on how to deal with demonstrators if they became uncontrollable?
A: I didn’t attend many meetings, but I was invited to a meeting on the 27th of January with the operation leaders where the assistant manager heard our problems from the first day, which included problems regarding our communication devices.
We heard that the there was a planned attack on the interior ministry, prisons and some other sections, which is why the police was reinforced with more guns and security.
Q: Do you know if there was weapon transfer to police in front of the interior?
A: Yes, our weapons were transferred in ambulances because we heard that the rebels would attack police cars.
Q: Who specifically ordered providing the security forces with firearms?
A: Major General Ahmed Ramzi
Q: Did you hear anything about using firearms?
A: Yes, I heard that weapons were used against demonstrators
Q: Did the police send the weapons back to the central security office after using them?
A:I don’t know
Q: Do you know that Habeeb Aladli ordered security forces to use weapon against demonstrators?
A: I don’t know.