Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was back in court Monday, once again wheeled into the proceedings on a hospital gurney and locked into a cage with his two sons.
However, the presiding judge quickly decided to halt the live television broadcast of the proceedings and adjourned the trial until Sept. 5, when witnesses will begin to take the stand.
Mubarak faces charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of demonstrators during the mass protests that removed him from power and helped trigger Arab spring demonstrations across the Arab world.
The 83-year-old Mubarak arrived in court Monday by helicopter from a Cairo hospital where he has been held since his first appearance. Prior to that he was staying at the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Mubarak was wheeled into a metal defendant's cage with his sons Alaa and Gamal at his side. The sons are facing corruption charges.
At one point, Alaa attempted to block a camera from filming his apparently ailing father as he was wheeled in, The Associated Press reports.
Scores of pro- and anti-Mubarak demonstrators were gathered outside the police academy on the outskirts of Cairo where the trial is being held.
There was a brief clash between the two groups Monday, with his supporters calling the trial a "humiliation" to the man who ruled Egypt with unquestionable authority for nearly three decades.
Both groups had gathered outside the police academy to watch the proceedings on large screens showing the trial.
Brief scuffles broke out when Mubarak's image appeared on the screen and his supporters shouted "here is the lion."
Meanwhile, supporters of the victims carried photographs of those killed and stomped on a photo of Mubarak.
Riot police quickly moved in to stop brief flare-ups of violence between the two sides.
With the judge's decision to cancel the live feed, it appeared the screens would not be showing future court
appearances.
Presiding Judge Ahmed Rifaat also took issue with bickering in the courtroom, telling lawyers for the families of alleged victims that their complaints about seating arrangements and speaking order were unhelpful.
"The case needs effort, not protests or talking," Rifaat told the crowd, complaining that he had more than 100 lawyers to listen to.
The Globe and Mail's Sonia Verma, in Egypt, said Rifaat's decision to cancel the live feed appeared to be an attempt to reduce the chaos inside and outside the court.
"He said it was in the public interest and I do sympathize with that to some extent," Verma told CTV News Channel.
"You have more than 100 laywers all shouting, standing, climbing over each other to get the judge's attention. You have these crowds outside. The judge's point is basically to ensure a speedy trial, to sensure due process, he wants to shut down this media circus."
Mubarak faces charges of complicity in the deaths of close to 900 protesters and of corruption in accepting gifts to facilitate the purchase of government land by a developer.
Mubarak's former interior minister is also implicated along with six senior security officers, though they appeared in court on Sunday and had their case put over to September.
The families of those killed in the protests have asked to have Mubarak's charges related to corruption and the killing of protesters separated, so as to speed up the trial process.
With files from The Associated Press
