Egyptian court clears policemen of killing protesters
Fourteen officers set free; activist complain of emerging pattern
Egyptian protesters in Tahrir Square, Cairo (photo credit: Amr Nabil/AP)
CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court has acquitted 14 policemen charged with killing protesters during last year’s popular uprising.
The verdict is the latest in what activists claim to be a pattern of acquittals for police blamed for the deaths of nearly 850 people during the 18-day revolt that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.
A Cairo court on Thursday found the policemen not guilty of shooting protesters in front of police stations on Jan. 28, 2011, one of the most violent days of the uprising.
The 14 are among nearly 200 security officers and former regime officials — including Mubarak himself — who face trial for the deaths of protesters during the uprising.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.