egypt policeman to face trial in death of woman protester
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Shot dead as police dispersed a small march of leftists

Egypt policeman to face trial in death of woman protester

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice Egypt policeman to face trial in death of woman protester

Shaima al-Sabbagh was killed in clashes with Egyptian police in Cairo
Cairo - Arab Today

Egypt's state prosecutor referred on Tuesday a police officer to trial for allegedly shooting dead a leftist female protester during a peaceful rally in central Cairo.
The death of Shaima al-Sabbagh, which was partly captured on film, prompted President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to publicly demand the perpetrator be brought to justice.
She suffered the fatal wounds as police dispersed a small march of leftists on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the January 25 uprising.
The marchers had been carrying a wreath to a monument commemorating the deaths of protesters during the revolt that toppled president Hosni Mubarak.
The police officer, who was not named by the prosecution, will stand trial before a criminal court.
It is the first time a policeman has been referred to trial for allegedly killing someone during a protest since the military's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, a rights researcher told AFP.
Police have been accused of killing hundreds of mostly Islamist protesters since Morsi's ouster, including about 700 in one day in August 2013 when police dispersed a Cairo protest camp.
About 10 policemen also died in those clashes.
A court had sentenced an officer to 10 years in prison for the deaths of 37 detainees arrested at a pro-Morsi protest who suffocated from tear gas inside a police truck, although an appeals court overturned that verdict.
Other policemen have been tried for the deaths of civilians, including an officer who shot dead a detainee in a police station.
"This is the first officer to be tried for killing a civilian in the context of a protest," said Karim Ennarah, a police and criminal justice researcher with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
Sabbagh's death, a day after another female protester was shot dead during a protest in Alexandria, was swiftly condemned by the government.
But the killing of the other female protester, an Islamist, received little attention.
Sabbagh's Socialist Popular Alliance, a small leftist party, was among the groups that opposed Morsi's divisive year in power before turning against his successor Sisi over a heavy-handed crackdown.
- 'Weak charges' -
The prosecutor said an investigation had found the officer shot dead Sabbagh with birdshot, which police often use in crowd control.
The ammunition can be lethal at close quarters.
Police had denied involvement in Sabbagh's death, suggesting the birdshot that perforated her chest was not police-issued.
The prosecutor also referred protesters who had taken part in the march to trial for violating a law that bans all but police-sanctioned demonstrations.
The charges against the police officer exclude murder or manslaughter. He is instead charged with "battery that led to death" and "deliberately" wounding other protesters.
Ennarah criticised the charges, which he said were "weak".
"When the prosecution can't get away from pressing charges (against policemen), when the abuse is very flagrant and well documented, they press weak charges," Ennarah said.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said it hoped that the case "helps to bring an end to the poisonous cycle of impunity for police violence" since the 2011 uprising.
But it expressed concern that the charges the policeman faces could carry similar prison terms for those at the protest alongside Sabbagh.
This, it said, "suggests a false and worrying equivalence between a peaceful protest and a fatal shooting".
Dozens of policemen were tried for protester deaths after the 2011 uprising against Mubarak, which had been partly fuelled by police abuses.
Most have been acquitted, including the former police chief and other commanders who stood trial with Mubarak.
The charges against Mubarak himself were dismissed by the court.

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

egypt policeman to face trial in death of woman protester egypt policeman to face trial in death of woman protester

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

egypt policeman to face trial in death of woman protester egypt policeman to face trial in death of woman protester

 



GMT 07:41 2011 Sunday ,14 August

Manchester United boss backs new generation

GMT 10:49 2013 Friday ,20 September

Apple buyers rue high price of new low cost iPhone

GMT 00:13 2017 Friday ,16 June

'Banker takes bribe to buy 'unwanted' shares'

GMT 21:47 2017 Saturday ,06 May

Emir Sends Cable of Condolences

GMT 13:26 2017 Tuesday ,24 October

SAGITTARIUS (November23rd-December21st)

GMT 22:39 2017 Monday ,20 November

NIHR welcomes UNICEF partnership

GMT 07:54 2017 Monday ,30 October

Young Muslims to drive $300 billion

GMT 06:15 2017 Saturday ,23 December

Tehran judiciary nixes hopes of swift release

GMT 14:57 2017 Wednesday ,22 November

Israel probes president's photo in Palestinian scarf

GMT 08:40 2017 Thursday ,02 March

Oculus looks to spur VR spread

GMT 23:31 2017 Saturday ,20 May

Syrian mother panic over son

GMT 12:29 2017 Wednesday ,08 March

Itsu launches into frozen food market
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice