Today began the first session of former minister of interior Habib El-Adly’s trial.The case has been postponed to 21 May.

Several medical doctors who were in Tahrir from the begining of the revolution and until 8 February attempted to enter the Cairo Criminal Court where former minister of interior Habib El-Adly's trial is ongoing but were denied access to the court. The doctors wanted to give their eye-witness accounts of the crimes that took place in Tahrir as they treated cases of unarmed demonstrators who suffered gun shot wounds - some of which were fatal.

Earlier in the day lawyers of families who have filed criminal complains against El-Adly were initially refused entry into the court room by the judge on grounds that it was too crowded. This led to protests by the lawyers and families in front of the court house who demanded either entry into the court room -- they have been granted this right.

In another development, police forces have withdrawn from the security operation around the Cairo Criminal Court in the suburb of the Fifth Settlement. Initially snipers had been positioned on adjacent buildings and a security force of around 2000 was reported to be stationed in the vicinity of the court house. The army is now securing the site.

El-Adly is being tried along with six of his senior assistants, including Ahmed Ramzy the former head of the Central Security Forces and Hussein Abdel Rahman who was head of State Secuirty, for issuing orders to kill and intimidate demonstrators in Tahrir Square on 28 January in what has become known as the "Friday of Anger."

According to the presentation of the prosecutor-general, between 25 and 31 January the former minister of interior and his senior aides, with the assistance of other members of the police force, intentionally murdered a large number of unarmed protesters.