Northern Cairo’s criminal court imposed Sunday the first death penalty in trials against policemen for killing protesters. The fugitive policeman, Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel Monem was accused of killing peaceful protesters during the “Friday of Anger” on 28 January.
Abdel Monem, who goes by the name of Mohamed El-Seni, was sentenced to death in absentia after being found guilty of spraying bullets randomly on demonstrators.
El-Seni, who worked in the Zawya El-Hamra police station, is blamed for the deaths of 18 and injuring three.
The court also ordered a swift arrest of El-Seni, whose whereabouts are still unknown.
El-Seni’s defence lawyer asked the court to postpone the case, but the court rejected the request.
Families of the victims who died during El-Seni’s shooting spree tried to break into the court during the session after the armed forces refused to allow them to attend. This led to clashes between the two and some family members were detained as a result.
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