General Prosecutor Nabil Sadia referred nine policemen to the Criminal Court on Thursday, on charges of torturing Egyptian citizen Talaat Shabeb to death.
The decision was made after a medical report, issued last week, revealed fractures to Shabeb’s neck and back that resulted in his spinal cord being severed.
The death of Shabeb sparked anger in Luxor, leading to minor protests and demonstrations on the streets. More than a dozen protesters were arrested in front of the hospital where Shabeb died.
There have been several cases of people dying in police custody over the past week, causing anger among the general public, prompting police officials to describe such incidents as “isolated incidents” or “individual acts”.
Only in December, four cases of death in detention were reported.
A criminal court will issue a verdict on Saturday on two officers accused of torturing lawyer Kareem Hamdy to death.
