Mrs. Suzanne, along with her daughters-in-law Haidi Rasekh and Khadiga al-Gamal and her grandson Omar, visited her sons Gamal and Alaa at the Tora Prison. AL ARABIYA
Egypt’s Interior Minister Mansour Al Essawy has ordered an investigation into a visit by former first lady Suzanne Mubarak to Tora Prison on Sunday, the Egyptian Al Masry Al Youm daily reported on Monday. He also ordered an investigation into reports that her son Alaa was allowed to roam freely without handcuffs prior to the beginning of court proceedings in the trial in which he, his brother Gamal and father ousted President Hosni Mubarak are being charged with killing protesters during the January 25 revolution. Mr. Alaa was caught on tape covering a camera lens with his hands to prevent a cameraman from filming his father as he arrived by ambulance to the Police Academy, where the trial is being held, according to the Egyptian daily. According to a security source, Mrs. Suzanne, along with her daughters-in-law Haidi Rasekh and Khadiga al-Gamal and her grandson Omar, visited her sons Gamal and Alaa at the Tora Prison. The source said the visit began at 4:15 pm and extended for three hours, indicating that the visit continued after the usual visitation hours. The source also said the three women and child were allowed to enter the prison in a private car, a further violation of prison regulations. However, Assistant Interior Minister Mohammed Naguib claimed the visit began at 2:30 pm and that it did not extend beyond the permitted visitation hours. The source also revealed that despite the transfer of Tora prison warden Ahmed Abdel Razek, his assistant Ayman Al Masry and Mahmoud Nafei, who was responsible for supervising the ward in which the accused are being held, things have not changed in the ward. The source said the accused are allowed to hold five star Iftar banquets, allowed to roam around after lock-up hours, as well as being allowed to sign contracts for the purchase/sale of their property inside the warden’s office. Mr. Essawy, meanwhile, said that any violations would be met with severe punishment, according to Al Masr Al Youm report. The judge presiding over the trial of Mr. Mubarak on Monday ordered TV cameras out of the courtroom until the case concludes, enraging opponents of the deposed president who vowed to challenge the decision with protests in downtown Cairo. Mr. Mubarak is the first head of state overthrown during a wave of uprisings in the Arab world to appear in court and the TV coverage has gripped audiences across the Middle East. A public trial was a key demand of protesters who had camped in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for weeks in July to press for a swift hearing.
