Egyptian court halves police officer's jail term for prisoner deaths
|
Version 0 of 1. An Egyptian police colonel has been sentenced to half his original jail term in a retrial over the deaths of 37 Islamist prisoners in an overcrowded police van, lawyers and judicial sources say. Related: How did 37 prisoners come to die at Cairo prison Abu Zaabal? It was one of the most disputed incidents during the security crackdown on Islamists after the military deposed President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. Thursday’s verdict came the day before the second anniversary of the deaths of hundreds of pro-Morsi protesters when security forces stormed two of their camps to disperse them. A month after Morsi’s ousting, the interior ministry announced that 37 prisoners, who it described as Islamists, died during an “attempted breakout”. The prosecutor’s office later said its investigations showed the men died while being transported to jail in an overcrowded police van into which teargas was fired. One police officer, Lt Col Amr Farouk, was sentenced in March 2014 to 10 years in jail with labour on charges of involuntary manslaughter and extreme negligence, while three other officers were given suspended sentences. An appeal court quashed the sentences in June 2014. The prosecution appealed, leading to a retrial and Thursday’s verdict, in which Farouk was given five years in prison and the other three officers again received suspended terms. The case was a rare instance of security force members being prosecuted for the deaths of anti-government demonstrators since Morsi’s overthrow, and some of the victims’ families said Thursday’s outcome was farcical. “This verdict … is merely a way to shut us up. It’s unfair that 37 people die and one person gets a five-year sentence which he will probably appeal and walk free,” said Mohamed Maghrabi, who’s son Rafik was among the dead. Critics have noted the difference between the harsh jail terms meted out to defendants viewed as holding Islamist views and the treatment of alleged crimes committed by security forces. Magdi Salah, a lawyer representing some families of the 37 victims, said the police officers would be able to appeal to Egypt’s highest court and if it was accepted there would be a final trial. Morsi, who has been in prison since losing power, has been sentenced to death for alleged security offences along with hundreds of jailed supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood. |