I just honestly hope that this is genuine and fair unlike what was happening in Egypt for a long time now!

The principle of accountability is supremely important as a lesson to would-be dictators, with the caveat that the trials of the Mubarak family be conducted with the fairness, the transparency, the order and the dignity that befits the highest ideals proclaimed by the January 25th revolution.

So see that! There's hope yet to bring our congress to account.
Carl
Portland

It would be nice if this were to happen to all other authoritarian dictators around the world, and their corrupt cronies and governments, too.

Good start, world.

I really wonder what the rulers of Saudi Arabia are thinking, I imagine they're saying: This is really could happen to us too .

I read recently in al-Quds al-Arabi that the Saudi Ruling Family offered to pay tens of billions of dollars if the Egyptian army does not put Mubarak and his son on trial!

I guess they do not want an example!
They don't want this to be a precedent because they know they could be next.

The count down has started.

Did really Mubarak have a heat attack when prosecutors started asking him questions on "how he acquired his vast fortune?" Well, new reports surfaced that the hospital manager where Mubarak was taken -after his supposed heart attack- told reporters that Mubarak was well and able to be interviewed by state investigators! I am 99.9% sure that Mubarak pretended he had a cardiac discomfort to avoid answering the prosecutor's questions! And I am sure he had planned to get sick, and he would pretend to get sick in future sessions with investigating magistrates to stall the digging into his financial empire!

For his 30 years in power, Mubarak had been proud of archaeologists constantly digging in Egypt for the Pharaoh's buried fortunes. But now that the persecutors are digging into his own hidden fortunes, he suddenly seem to have a short breath and become unable to answer the questions! He probably feels that since nobody investigated the Pharaohs for corruption during their time, there is no legal precedent in the history of Egypt to investigate an absolute ruler for corruption.

Unfortunately, the Egyptian people have been looted by Pharaohs and kings for 4.000 years. Now the Egyptians want to find out what Mubarak has looted from them during his 30 years of absolute despotic rule! But Mubarak has a pace-maker for a heart arrhythmia, and it seems he has planned to use his condition to "pace himself" out of the interrogation pretending to have a "heart attack." Next time he may pretend to have a "mild stroke," or "memory loss," or claim "executive privilege" - like Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. Anything to stall the probe until Allah takes him out of his current misery! After all, he didn't steal for himself - given his age at 82, but for his family. Let's wait and see if the prosecutors will best the archaeologists in the gold digging of the Mubarak family's fortune! Nikos Retsos, retired professor

Karma Niyama.

Make all the billionaire dictators and oligarchs too,who rob their countries,give it all back.

I entirely concur with the comment:

"The principle of accountability is supremely important as a lesson to would-be dictators, with the caveat that the trials of the Mubarak family be conducted with the fairness, the transparency, the order and the dignity that befits the highest ideals proclaimed by the January 25th revolution."

I will add that I wish such an accountability would come-not only to all despots-but especially to those responsible for ours-and the world's-economic crisis... and those in our congress who kow-tow to the 'tea party' and would take us back to the economic inequality of the early twentieth century.

He got what was coming to him.

I wonder what a US president would have to do to be similarly detained.

Egyptian society is full of liberals, moderate and conservatives. It also has few extremists but the mainstream the lead the revolution is capable of winning the battle of ideas against them. Unlike any other revolutions, the Egyptian revolution toppled a dictator in 18 days and then put him and his gang in jail without firing a bullet. In new Egypt we hold people accountable. He ordered the killing of 500 protesters and he must be brought to justice. New Egypt will never be governed by an iron fest again. This is a promise from the Egyptian youth. FULL STOP

Its unnecessary to hound him. He was our ally for a very long time (30 years) and continued the peace agreement between Sadat and Begin. Imagine if he was waging war against Israel for 30 years! It would have been a mess for us.
I think a significant number of decent Egyptians will have a feeling of revulsion about this.
They let the Shah of Iran leave, the butcher of Uganda left for Saudi,the dictator of Chile left, etc. So should Mubarak and be left in peace.
If the new heirarchy can't figure out to govern except by hate, they are off to a bad start.

Someone suggests that there are many fanatics in Egypt. No more than anywhere else. I have travelled widely in Egypt. People there are very civilised and hospitable, even members of the much maligned Muslim Brotherhood treated me with great civility. They explained to me the nature of Sharia Law and its application. They had no intention of imposing it on people who did not believe in it including the Christian communities there. PLease visit the country and mix with her people before adopting a holier than thow attitude.

The exclamation, (translated from Arabic): "God is great" could be taken as an argument against the proposition that God is not great, or as a shout of praise for the diety -akin to the Christian hosanna.....

No one should be above the law; Mubarak has been for 3 decades. He and his sons must be able to how did he acquire enormous wealth "on the government salary," and how did his family? Particularly in the light of questions raised.

That investigation should be fair and proper. Regardless of the outcome, I am pleased to see that at least on this matter, the new powers seem to be moving in a democratic way, and hope they set an example for the Arab world that democracy ain't that bad, unless one wants to rule endlessly.

I personally think that Mubarak should be held accountable for his actions of the past, regardless of whether or not we were allied with him. A previous comment said, "The principle of accountability is supremely important as a lesson to would-be dictators, with the caveat that the trials of the Mubarak family be conducted with the fairness, the transparency, the order and the dignity that befits the highest ideals proclaimed by the January 25th revolution." I agree with this completely. However, it is a shame that the new military leaders also seem to be controlling protesters through violence.

Likely, the new dictatorship's (miitary) response to accusations (well-founded)that they are repressing freedoms, torturing detainees, and killing protestors. Mubarack will probably be executed after a lengthy and confusing trial to deflect attention from the military's dictatorial rule.

@Beatrice Brusic: Your misguided comment suggests you harbor a certain philosophical/ideological bias that flies against the ideals of democracy for all human beings. For you freedom and human rights...but others "have to be kept in line" (your words...not mine). This is an offensive ideology which most decent sentient beings will reject. we have fanatics, ideologues, and kooks in our country...would you also suggest Mr Obama keep them in line?

If you -or someone close to you- had been at the receiving end of Mr Mubarak's abuses, your stance would be different.

They can get Mubarak on corruption, but overall he was not particularly violent to protesters. If he was, he'd still be in power like Ghadaffi.

He should have come to USA. Here no one is punished for looting
the big money. Of course there is severe punishment for crimes involving small amount of money just ask the sisters in Mississippi for getting life imprisonment forthe robbery of $11. Apparantly no one told him how all the bankers got scot free to enjoy their big bonuses. Pharaos may have been looting Egyptians for 4000 years but here the bankers have been doing it for 200 years.We have another 3800 years to go before catching up with the Egyptians.

None of this would have happened with a reasonable international retirement age for authoritarians holding sole power. I worry that as the retirement age for the rest of us creeps up, more such people with narrowed artery syndrome will cause trouble.