Egyptian court jails policemen in rare torture verdict

CAIRO — An Egyptian court has sentenced a policeman to seven years in prison for torturing a worker to death, a rare decision against a force largely seen as operating with impunity.

The Court of Cassation sentenced officer Samir Hani on Wednesday, and also handed down three-year sentences to five other policemen involved in the case. It rejected appeals and issued what will be a final verdict.

The men were initially convicted last July of beating worker Talaat el-Rashidi to death in the Luxor police station after he was arrested in front of a coffee shop for possession of narcotics.

Egyptian police have conducted a widescale crackdown on government opponents, both Islamist and secular. Human Rights Watch says President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has given a “green light” to systematic torture inside detention facilities.