Mubarak Pleads Not Guilty

The first ever trial of an Arab leader in his home country in modern history began today.

Ousted and ailing Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and that he ordered the deaths of protesters at the opening of his trial in Cairo today. Mubarak is being tried alongside his two sons, his former minister of the interior, and a handful advisers on allegations that he plundered state coffers and was complicit in the deaths of some 850 civilians during the uprising in January and February. The trial is being held in a hastily assembled courtroom at a Cairo police academy. Mubarak, who's been in hospital with undisclosed illnesses since stepping down in February, appeared in court in a hospital bed locked in a cage. The proceedings were broadcast live across Egypt and the Arab world. Mubarak's next court date is Aug. 15.