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Trial of two coppers resumes in Alexandria
The trial resumed Saturday in the port city of Alexandria of two police officers, Mahmoud Salah and Awad Ismail Suleiman, accused in the killing of an Egyptian whose death helped spark the uprising that toppled Mubarak. A judge set June 30 for a verdict in the highly charged case.They are accused in the brutal beating death of 28-year-old Khaled Said, whose slaying served as a rallying point for activists campaigning against widespread human rights abuses under Mubarak. The circumstances of Said's June 2010 slaying -- he was dragged out of an Internet cafe by two plainclothes police officers and beaten to death -- resonated with many young Egyptians who, like him, use the Internet. It was never clear why the officers targeted Said. His death sparked intermittent street protests in Cairo and Alexandria for months. Security forces and forensic reports initially maintained Said suffocated after swallowing a packet of drugs -- a claim met with derision after photos of Said's corpse were circulated showing his body covered with bruises, his teeth broken and jaw smashed. After a public outcry, prosecutors charged Salah and Suleiman with illegal arrest and harsh treatment, although not with murder as the victim's family had demanded. The trial has dragged on for months. It was postponed repeatedly after Mubarak's ouster as court officials said it would be difficult to secure the proceeding. On Saturday, hundreds of supporters of Said's family protested outside the courtroom, some holding up a zucchini, a symbol among Egyptians of abuse of authority to circumvent the law. Lawyer Mohammed Abdel-Aziz said many had expected a verdict, but the judge adjourned the session and said a verdict would be handed down on June 30. Posted by: Steve White 2011-05-22 |
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