(AFP File Photo)
The retrial of 13 people accused of murder at a football match in Port Said in February 2012 was postponed until 19 February according to a defence lawyer present at the trial.
The 13 who were facing retrial were originally sentenced in absentia, but presented themselves to the prosecutor for the retrial, said defence lawyer Ashraf Ezaby.
The Port Said Criminal Court held the session at the Police Academy Headquarters in Cairo, which is often the case when there are security concerns surrounding a trial. In March the verdict prompted some members of the Al-Ahly SC supporters group Ultras Ahlawy to set fire to the Egyptian Football Association building and the neighbouring Police Club.
The court heard witness statements from those who attended the match between local Port Said team Al-Masry SC and Cairo based team Al-Ahly SC, said state run news agency Al-Ahram.
The case relates to the Port Said Stadium disaster, commonly called the “Port Said Massacre”, in which 74 supporters of Al-Ahly SC were killed at the final whistle of the match. Al-Masry SC fans stormed the pitch, attacking players and fans. Those who died had been stabbed, beaten, crushed by the stampede or thrown off the upper tier of stadium seating.
The incident prompted the cancellation of the Egyptian Premier League, which did not resume until 2013 and was played in closed stadiums.
In total there were 73 defendants in the case, sentenced on two separate occasions. The first sentence was delivered in January 2013 in which 21 people were sentenced to death. The second verdict came in March 2013, when the 21 death sentences were ratified, five received life sentences, ten were handed 15 year sentences, two received 5 years and one man received a year.
Earlier in December the Court of Cassation postponed the retrial of 48 of the defendants until 6 February.
Additional reporting by Mostafa Salem
