Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak has denied charges of corruption¹ and ordering the killing² of protesters, on the opening day of his trial in Cairo.

在开罗举行的开庭审判中，埃及前总统穆巴拉克否认了腐败和下令杀害抗议者的指控。

He was wheeled on a hospital bed into a cage in court to the astonishment³ of onlookers⁴ outside, correspondents say.

The 83-year-old is being tried with his sons, who also deny charges against them, ex-Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six other former officials.

Mr Mubarak was forced from office by mass demonstrations⁵ in February.

The charge of ordering the killing of protesters carries the death penalty.

Some 3,000 soldiers and police were drafted in to maintain order at the police academy for the first day of the trial of Mr Mubarak and his sons, which has now been adjourned⁶（休会，延期） until 15 August.

The trial of Mr al-Adly and the six other security officials is due to resume on Thursday.

'Calm'

Up until the last moment there was doubt whether Mr Mubarak would actually appear in the court, correspondents say.

His defence team claimed he was seriously ill and there had been speculation⁷ they might negotiate for him to remain in the hospital wing of the police academy while the proceedings⁸ took place in the courtroom.

But Mr Mubarak was wheeled into the cage from where he observed proceedings with the other defendants⁹, including his two sons Alaa and Gamal.

Judge Ahmed Rifaat opened the session by asking for order, saying: "The civilised Egyptian people require calm... to make sure that the mission of the court is carried out fully¹⁰ so we can please God almighty¹¹ and our consciences".

Despite that, the court session was at times unruly, with lawyers jostling（冲撞） and clamouring（叫喊） to be heard by the judge.

Judge Rifaat is a respected jurist seen as independent of the former regime, says state newspaper al-Ahram.

The charges against the Mubaraks were read out, and Hosni Mubarak and his sons each denied them.

"Yes, I am here," the former president said, raising his hand slightly when the judge asked him to identify himself and enter a plea. "I deny all these accusations¹² completely."

Everybody was in shock as the trial began, says the BBC's Jon Leyne, in Cairo, because this was the moment that no-one in Egypt - maybe all of the Middle East - expected to see.

There was amazement¹³ and silence from the people gathered outside as they watched a screen broadcasting proceedings, our correspondent adds.

"I am delighted that I see them in a cage. I feel that my son's soul is finally starting to be at rest and that his blood will cool," Saeeda Hassan Abdul Raouf, the mother of a 22-year-old protester who was among those killed in the uprising, told the Associated Press outside the trial venue¹⁴.