Mubarak trial lesson to Arab despots

The recent trial of former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak should serve as a lesson for authoritarian regimes as well as popular movements in the Arab world, an Iranian lawmaker says.

“The ouster and trial of the Egyptian dictator and the end of [Egypt’s] dependence on arrogant powers is a comprehensive lesson to the regional nations, showing perseverance is the only way to fight dictatorship,” said Seyyed Ali Aqazadeh Dafsari, member of Iran’s Majlis (parliament) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy.

He went on to say that the incident “also served a bitter lesson to the dictators in the regional Arab countries,” Fars news agency reported on Sunday.

The trial of Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, began on Wednesday.

Mubarak is the first Arab leader to stand trial in person since popular uprisings swept the Arab world.

The Iranian lawmaker made a reference to Egypt’s deep historical roots and the nation’s pioneering role in rising against Israel’s aggressions and expressed regret that “Hosni Mubarak, with his performance, made the country dependent upon non-regional powers and humiliated the Egyptian nation.”

Two revolutions have led to regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt since January.

Other popular uprisings have hit Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain, as the wave appears to be spreading to other Arab countries.