Speaking in Mombasa, Kenya, where he is attending the African Leadership Conference, which is set to wind up on Friday, Obasanjo said the treatment meted to the former Egyptian leader was bad for the image of Africa as a continent.
``Put him in a cage? It is not proper. He deserves a better treatment. This is not good for the image of Africa,” Obasanjo told a gathering of African leaders, including former South African President Thabo Mbeki, and other governance experts gathered for the conference.
Egypt has put its former President on trial for the killing of protesters calling for his resignation in late January to early February this year, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Obasanjo, who had earlier addressed the African governance conference on the need for African governments to continue improving their governance ratings, also called on the African media to maintain high ethical standards to gain credibility.
He said the media in Africa could not claim a high moral ground and attempt to police good governance while still being held back by corruption within its ranks.
The African leaders at the conference, including ministers, top civil society voices across the continent and African scholars, called for massive infrastructure improvements to put the continent on a faster lane for the achievement of its economic development goals.
Speaking on the role of the media in advancing continental development, Obasanjo said that from his knowledge of the Nigerian press, the media could not be trusted to champion governance.
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news-update/14714-mubarak-trial-bad-for-africa-s-image-says-obasanjo.html