Hundreds of people gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday to demand that Hosni Mubarak’s last premier be banned from standing in a run-off election to replace the ousted president. The crowd also protested against what they consider lenient verdicts in the trial of Mubarak, his ex-interior minister and six police chiefs charged over the murder of demonstrators in the 2011 uprising that forced the president to resign. “No to left-overs from the old regime,” said one placard, in allusion to Ahmed Shafiq, who is set to square off against Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi in next week’s run-off election. Shouting to the crowd, one Muslim cleric said: “The revolution is in danger. I am here so that the regime of Hosni Mubarak does not return. Protect your revolution!” Mubarak and his interior minister, Habib al-Adly, were sentenced to life in prison on Saturday, but six security chiefs were acquitted of the killings of demonstrators during the uprising, which left some 850 people dead. The ruling immediately sparked nationwide outrage, with thousands taking to the streets to vent their anger that no one had been found directly guilty of killing the protesters. Young pro-democracy militants had called for a “Friday of determination” to demand application of a law passed before the first round of voting that excluded top Mubarak officials from running, and to protest the verdicts. Shafiq was initially disqualified from standing but, in late April, the electoral commission accepted an appeal from him against his disqualification. and the case was referred to the Supreme Constitutional Court. The court is to sit on Thursday, just two days ahead of the run-off, to review the law.
