Egypt's ex-president Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life imprisonment on Saturday, the Cairo Criminal Court said.

Presiding Judge Ahmed Refaat announced that after 49 times of trial, the court decided to sentence Mubarak, 84, and ex-interior minister Habib Adli to life imprisonment for killing protesters in last year's massive demonstration. Adli's six assistants were acquitted, said Refaat.

Some 20,000 police and army forces secured the court during the trial, as clashes erupted between lawyers and families of those killed in the demonstration after the verdict.

"The communications among the defendants during the revolution for the order of killing protesters weren't proven, some evidences were corrupted before reaching the hands of the court," Refaat said.

The defendants could appeal on the verdict in 60 days after its announcement, according to state TV, which broadcast the verdict live. Apart from being charged with killing the protesters, Mubarak also faced graft charges.

Before announcing the verdict, Refaat reminded people of the uprising that had ousted the corrupted regime. He also defended protestors who called for basic human rights.

He said the demonstrators called for a place to shelter after they lived in slums drinking dirty water, a job to afford their family with the minimum wage and basic dignity.

The uprising turned the country into a better place, he noted.

(China Daily 06/03/2012 page1)