Egypt sentences 11 to death over 2012 soccer riot
Melee left 75 dead and sparked weeks of clashes in Port Said
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CAIRO — A criminal court in Egypt’s coastal city of Port Said has sentenced 11 people to death over a 2012 soccer riot that left more than 70 dead and several hundreds injured.
Tuesday’s verdict came at the end of the retrial of 73 defendants in a case that sparked deadly riots in 2013 in Port Said, prompting then-President Mohammed Morsi to declare a state of emergency in the city.
Also Tuesday, the court sentenced 40 defendants to up to 15 years in prison and acquitted the rest.
The verdicts can be appealed.
The February 2012 riot began at the end of a league match in Port Said between Cairo’s al-Ahly, Egypt’s most successful club, and home side el-Masry. It was Egypt’s worst soccer disaster and among the world’s deadliest.
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