History will judge me fairly, says Mubarak

CAIRO - Ex- president Hosni Mubarak, on trial for the death of protesters during Egypt’s 2011 uprising that toppled him, said future generations would judge him “fairly” in an interview published yesterday.

“I have said in the past that history would bear witness and judge, and I am still certain that future generations will judge me fairly,” Mubarak told Al-Watan newspaper on the sidelines of his re-trial on Saturday.

The independent Al- Wa ta n, which is highly critical of Egypt’s new ruling Islamists, said the interview was the first the ex-president gave since he was forced to quit in February 2011 after massive protests against his 30-year rule.

Mubarak also said that it was too early to judge his successor Mohamed Morsi, a member of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement and archfoe of the toppled leader.

“I do not want to talk about that subject, but in the end, he’s a new president who bears heavy responsibilities for the first time, and who shouldn’t be judged for the moment,” Mubarak said when asked to comment on Morsi.

Mubarak, 85, also said that he was “very, very sad” for the poorest Egyptians who face a deteriorating economic and security situation.

“Throughout my presidency, I took care of people on low incomes ... and I refused to take any measures against them. That is the secret of my sadness, to see the situation of people on low incomes,” he said. One of the main slogans of the uprising that pushed Mubarak out of power was: “Bread, Freedom and Social Justice.” –