CAIRO - Egyptians in their hundreds began gathering Tuesday inCairo's iconic Tahrir Square ahead of a mass demonstration toprotest against verdicts handed down in ex-president HosniMubarak's murder trial. Hawkers selling tea, cakes or flags took up positions at the squarein downtown Cairo, which was closed to traffic for the 1500 GMTdemonstration called by Egyptian activists furious at the verdicts. Mubarak, 84, and his interior minister Habib al-Adly were sentencedto life in prison on Saturday, but six security chiefs wereacquitted over the killings of demonstrators during last year'suprising that left some 850 people dead and ousted theex-president. The ruling sparked nationwide outrage, with thousands taking to thestreets to vent their rage that no one had been found directlyguilty of killing the protesters. Mubarak - the only autocrat toppled in the Arab Spring to be put inthe dock - could have been sent to the gallows as demanded by theprosecution but was instead given a life term, angering many. He was also cleared of graft charges. Along with the acquitted police chiefs, Mubarak's sons Alaa andGamal had corruption charges against them dropped on atechnicality, but they will remain in prison over anothercorruption case. The protest has been called by youth movements who revolted againstMubarak last year, including the Coalition of Revolution Youth andthe Maspero Youth Union, and will be supported by the powerfulMuslim Brotherhood. The runners-up in the first round of the presidential election,leftist politician Hamdeen Sabbahi and moderate Islamist AbdelMoneim Abul Fotouh, would lead separate marches to the centralsquare, they said in statements. They came third and fourth respectively in the May 23-24 electionthat has narrowed to a run-off later this month between AhmedShafiq - Mubarak's prime minister during the uprising - and theMuslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi. "We believe that our revolution is not over. The military mustleave power and hand it to civilians," said Mahmud Bahira, aprotester from the Revolution Youth movement. Another protester Mohammed Shabik said: "The judgement in theMubarak case is not tough enough, there are even people who havebeen acquitted." Egypt's prosecutor has said that the verdicts will be appealed, buta judicial source said that the process would take several weeks. Mubarak's defence team has also said it would challenge the rulingand told AFP it was confident of winning on appeal. The verdicts come just two weeks before the presidential electionrun-off which is becoming highly polarised with many activistsfacing a difficult choice. For activists, choosing Shafiq, a Mubarak-era figure, wouldsymbolise a return to the old regime and an end to the revolution,but voting for Mursi would mean handing Egypt to a movement theysay has monopolised power since the uprising. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Sports Silicone Wristbands Manufacturer , Scalar Energy Pendant Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Healthy Wristbands.
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