DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The live TV images of a caged and bedridden Hosni Mubarak being held to account for alleged crimes against his own people — by his own people — captivated viewers across the Middle East and appeared to many to be a powerful turning point in this year’s uprisings.
Some hoped the trial, which began Wednesday in Cairo, would be the first of several bringing longtime autocrats to justice. Others weren’t quite sure what to make of the spectacle, torn between a desire for justice and the discomfort of seeing a once-all-powerful Arab leader treated like a common criminal.
For many others from North Africa to the Persian Gulf, the trial carried a deeper meaning. It was, in the words of pastry shop owner Saif Mahmoud in Baghdad, a rewriting of the rules between the region’s people and their leaders. That’s because unlike Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, who was captured by American forces, Mubarak was brought to court by his own people.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, 29-year- old Palestinian Salah Abu Samera saw emerging democracy.
“It’s unusual in the Arab world,” he said. “This is the first time we see a leader in a real court. This is good for democracy, good for the future.”
Another Palestinian, retiree Mohammed Adnan, 64, said Mubarak never would have treated his people as he did had he headed a democratic country and knew he would be held accountable for his actions.
The trial especially resonated in countries where citizens are still agitating for change against their own longtime rulers.
Activists in Syria accused the regime of Bashar Assad of striking hard at a moment when world and media attention were distracted by Mubarak’s trial.
In neighboring Libya, rebels welcomed the trial.
“We wish to see (Moammar) Khadafy in a similar cage one day,” said rebel Mohamad al-Rajali.
Not everyone saw the courtroom drama as a step forward, however.
“The Mubarak trial today is a massive shame for the Arab world,” said Hassan al-Masri, 45, from Gaza City.
He described Mubarak as a fighter and said a great leader for the Arabs “does not deserve to sit inside a cage like a criminal.”
