Egypt's public prosecutor on Tuesday sent to trial a police general and a conscript for concealing evidence in the fatal killing of a leftist female protester during a peaceful rally in central Cairo, a judicial source said.

The move came a day after another police officer was charged over the shooting of 32-year-old Shaimaa El-Sabbagh, whose death in January sparked a public outcry after photos of her bleeding to death circulated online.

The prosecutor said in a statement that the pair, including a major general who the led forces that dispersed the protest, will be tried over charges of denying seeing the suspect while shooting El-Sabbagh.

The source said the charges might be punishable by up to a year in jail.

Court actions are scarcely taken against members of security forces amid accusations by critics that police act with impunity. The interior ministry has repeatedly denied such accusations, asserting it respects human rights.

El-Sabbagh was shot dead in January as police dispersed a peaceful march of leftists marking the fourth anniversary of the 2011 uprising. The protesters were planning to place a wreath at the nearby iconic Tahir Square to commemorate the killing of demonstrators during the revolt.

Also on Wednesday, judicial sources said a police officer was referred to court after he confessed to shooting dead a member of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood last month following a row at a hospital.

The Islamist had been taken there for treatment after he was shot by police as he allegedly tried plant a bomb in a northern district of Cairo.