In court, Egypt's ousted Mubarak defends his rule

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's deposed President Hosni Mubarak has denied that he ordered protesters killed during an uprising in 2011, in his first lengthy speech to a court as his year-old retrial draws to an end.

The 86-year-old Mubarak was speaking from a gurney inside a cage that holds defendants on Wednesday, listing the achievements of his 29-year rule. He says he gave up power voluntarily in 2011 for Egypt to avert an "abyss."

Wearing a blue suit, he said: "Mohammed Hosni Mubarak would never order the killing of protesters ... or shedding the blood of Egyptians."

Mubarak is serving a three-year sentence in a separate corruption case. He was found guilty in June 2012 and sentenced to life imprisonment but won a retrial, which began in April 2013.