Hosni Mubarak

TWO weeks ago, Egyptians sat glued to their televisions as Hosni Mubarak, the man who ruled their country for 30 years, was wheeled into a Cairo courtroom, charged with corruption and the murder of unarmed demonstrators. At some point in the future, if he is found guilty, they may be able to watch him be sentenced. But what happens in between, in particular the presentation of evidence, will happen off-camera. After a mostly procedural session on Monday, presiding judge Ahmed Rifaat declared that "in the public interest", television cameras will be barred from future sittings of the court.

Mr Rifaat had been visibly annoyed with the chaos in his courtroom, in particular with the dozens of lawyers representing the families of "martyrs" allegedly shot by the police, clamouring for financial compensation for their clients. Meanwhile, in front of a large screen erected outside the court complex, pro- and anti-Mubarak crowds have hurled stones at each other. For some Egyptians, Mr Rifaat's decision restores some dignity to the trial, and discourages lawyers from raising frivolous motions to get their faces on television. (At the first session, one attorney demanded a DNA test to prove that the man in the cage was indeed Mr Mubarak, and not an imposter). Others, however, suspect that the cameras were ejected because Egypt's current military rulers, whom Mr Mubarak's lawyers have threatened to call to the stand, have something to hide.

Egyptian courtroom proceedings are not designed to be accessible to outside observers, and the country has no tradition of televising trials. Many seemed to expect that Mr Mubarak and his co-defendants would be accused, tried and convicted in a few hours of legal drama. The Mubarak trial, however, involves multiple charges and ten co-defendants and is likely to be long and ponderous. Mr Rifaat may simply have been trying to spare his every move the scrutiny of millions of impatient home viewers. However, his ruling deprives those Egyptians who are unfamiliar with the intricacies of due process of law of an unparalleled opportunity to learn about them.