Hosni Mubarak To Stand Trial Over Protester Deaths

This is going to serve as a warning to other dictators and despots and autocrats who have ruled Middle Eastern and North African countries with an iron fist for decades on end without the slightest care about political, religious, or economic freedom.

Hosni Mubarak will stand trial over the deaths of protesters.

Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak will stand trial on charges of conspiring in the deadly shootings of protesters during the uprising that ousted him, the prosector-general said Tuesday.

The 83-year-old leader, his two sons and a close business associate also have been charged with abusing their power to amass wealth, the prosecutor-general's office said in a statement. A trial date has not yet been set.

The referral to trial is a key demand of many Egyptians who have rallied to insist that Mubarak and his aides face justice.

Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 and transferred power to the military after an 18-day popular uprising. At least 846 protesters were killed, according to a government fact-finding mission.

Since Mubarak's regime fell to the inspired protests, other regimes have come under intense pressure to step down, including in Syria and Libya. In those cases, Bashar al Assad and Mumar Khadafi are using brutal force to quell the protests and the situation in Libya got to the point where NATO has intervened on behalf of the protests and opposition groups that have effectively seized control over large parts of the country. Assad maintains an iron grip in Syria although his regime continues using deadly force at every opportunity to remain in power.