Marking a historic moment for Egypt and the Middle East, the country's deposed president, Hosni Mubarak, has appeared in court to face mass murder and corruption charges in a trial watched live by millions of Egyptians.
Dressed in white prison clothes and lying on a stretcher inside the black steel and mesh cage, Mr Mubarak strongly denied the charges levelled against him, which, if proved, could result in the death penalty.
''I am present your honour,'' the 83-year-old former leader replied in response to Judge Ahmed Refaat.
''You have heard the charges levelled against you by the prosecution. What is your response?'' the judge said.
''I deny all these charges and accusations categorically. I have not committed any such crimes.''
His two sons, Gamal and Alaa, also denied the charges against them. Former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six senior ex-officers are also being tried with Mr Mubarak, while a business executive and Mubarak confidant, Hussein Salem, is being tried in absentia.
The trial of Mr Mubarak and his two sons has been adjourned until August 15, while the trial of the former interior minister, Mr Adly, continues today.
About 850 people died and more than 6000 were wounded in the three-week uprising that toppled Mr Mubarak.
Outside the court, emotions ran high as crowds of people - including friends and families of those killed in the uprising - gathered to watch the spectacle.
For many, the image of the man who brutally ruled their country for three decades on trial is a giant leap towards a more democratic society. For others, the humiliation is unthinkable.
The crowd outside began cheering and clapping when his image appeared on the large screen erected outside the court - it was clear many had never dared to imagine this moment would come.
One man, who did not wish to be named, said: ''The people have done this and he [Mubarak] is answering the people.''
Another woman holding a photograph of her son, 17, who was killed in the protests as he walked home from school in January, waited patiently for the proceedings to get under way. She said she was simply ''hoping for justice''.
There were occasional outbreaks of violence outside the court, rocks were hurled into the crowd and at the screen televising the trial.
Small groups of pro-Mubarak supporters chanted: ''Oh Mubarak, hold your head high'' while anti-Mubarak protesters called for the former president to be held responsible for the deaths of unarmed activists.
All eyes will be on the conduct of this trial as an indication of whether Egypt has moved beyond the brutal rule of its former leader, who sanctioned the use of torture and imprisonment without charge over his 30-year reign.
One commentator tweeted: ''Blessed be you who sat-in at Tahrir for this, including those who got beaten up yesterday and day before. These moments belong to you. May we see [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi, [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad, and [Yemen President Ali Abdullah] Saleh in court too!''
Lawyers pushed against the wooden railing inside the courtroom, representing the main defendants and the victims of the violence, many trying to extend the boundaries of the trial.
One lawyer for victims has called for many more witnesses to be summoned to appear, including the head of the Egyptian telecom company NTRA, the head of Egyptian state TV and the head of Nile News.
Egypt's telecommunication companies were named over their behaviour during the uprising, when networks were shut down at the height of the demonstrations.
Many doubted Mr Mubarak would show up at the trial, believing he would use the excuse of poor health in order to avoid the humiliation, yet early yesterday morning he was taken from his hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh and flown in a military plane to Cairo.
Elsewhere in Cairo, security was tight around Tahrir Square, the heart of the pro-democracy protests, with police and military officers in riot gear deployed around the area, as well as dozens of police trucks and tanks.
Dressed in white prison clothes and lying on a stretcher inside the black steel and mesh cage, Mr Mubarak strongly denied the charges levelled against him, which, if proved, could result in the death penalty.
''I am present your honour,'' the 83-year-old former leader replied in response to Judge Ahmed Refaat.
''You have heard the charges levelled against you by the prosecution. What is your response?'' the judge said.
''I deny all these charges and accusations categorically. I have not committed any such crimes.''
His two sons, Gamal and Alaa, also denied the charges against them. Former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six senior ex-officers are also being tried with Mr Mubarak, while a business executive and Mubarak confidant, Hussein Salem, is being tried in absentia.
The trial of Mr Mubarak and his two sons has been adjourned until August 15, while the trial of the former interior minister, Mr Adly, continues today.
About 850 people died and more than 6000 were wounded in the three-week uprising that toppled Mr Mubarak.
Outside the court, emotions ran high as crowds of people - including friends and families of those killed in the uprising - gathered to watch the spectacle.
For many, the image of the man who brutally ruled their country for three decades on trial is a giant leap towards a more democratic society. For others, the humiliation is unthinkable.
The crowd outside began cheering and clapping when his image appeared on the large screen erected outside the court - it was clear many had never dared to imagine this moment would come.
One man, who did not wish to be named, said: ''The people have done this and he [Mubarak] is answering the people.''
Another woman holding a photograph of her son, 17, who was killed in the protests as he walked home from school in January, waited patiently for the proceedings to get under way. She said she was simply ''hoping for justice''.
Small groups of pro-Mubarak supporters chanted: ''Oh Mubarak, hold your head high'' while anti-Mubarak protesters called for the former president to be held responsible for the deaths of unarmed activists.
All eyes will be on the conduct of this trial as an indication of whether Egypt has moved beyond the brutal rule of its former leader, who sanctioned the use of torture and imprisonment without charge over his 30-year reign.
One commentator tweeted: ''Blessed be you who sat-in at Tahrir for this, including those who got beaten up yesterday and day before. These moments belong to you. May we see [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi, [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad, and [Yemen President Ali Abdullah] Saleh in court too!''
Lawyers pushed against the wooden railing inside the courtroom, representing the main defendants and the victims of the violence, many trying to extend the boundaries of the trial.
One lawyer for victims has called for many more witnesses to be summoned to appear, including the head of the Egyptian telecom company NTRA, the head of Egyptian state TV and the head of Nile News.
Egypt's telecommunication companies were named over their behaviour during the uprising, when networks were shut down at the height of the demonstrations.
Many doubted Mr Mubarak would show up at the trial, believing he would use the excuse of poor health in order to avoid the humiliation, yet early yesterday morning he was taken from his hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh and flown in a military plane to Cairo.
Elsewhere in Cairo, security was tight around Tahrir Square, the heart of the pro-democracy protests, with police and military officers in riot gear deployed around the area, as well as dozens of police trucks and tanks.
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