Tanta Criminal Court in Egypt's northern Delta governorate of Gharbiya on Thursday morning acquitted former security director Ramzy Talab and six other police officers who had been accused of firing on unarmed protesters during Egypt's January 2011 Tahrir Square uprising.

Around 846 people were killed during the 18-day uprising that culminated in the 11 February ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.

Several policemen were known to have fired on unarmed demonstrators during the revolution. To date, however, Egypt's judiciary has failed to convict any police officer for murder during protests.

The lack of convictions has continued to be a source of frustration for victims' families who have repeatedly complained that officers deemed complicit in their relatives' deaths continue to go unpunished.