The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced a non-commissioned police officer to life in prison on Wednesday, after charging him with the murder of a street vendor near Rehab city in April.
The court confirmed the prosecution’s accusation of first-degree murder and the attempted murder of others.
The incident dates back to 19 April when photos of three people lying on the ground, one of them dead, were circulated on social media.
After the angry reactions from civil society and a minor riot by the vendor’s colleagues, the Interior Ministry confirmed the officer killed a man and injured two others in New Cairo, after a quarrel erupted over the price of a drink.
There have been several cases of people dying in police custody over the past week, which has sparked anger among the general public, prompting police officials to describe such incidents as “isolated incidents” or “individual acts”.
In February, after a similar incident in Cairo’s Dar Al-Salam, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered harsh laws to counter violations by police officers. As of yet, no law has been issued on the matter.
Wednesday’s verdict is the third this year in which an officer charged with killing civilians must serve time in prison.
The latest included six police officers, who were accused of torturing Luxor resident Talaat Shabeeb to death. They have been sentenced to three to seven years in prison by Qena Criminal Court.
The six men include a lieutenant, who received seven years, and five non-commissioned police officers, who each received five years of hard labour.
In addition, the court ruled that the Ministry of Interior must compensate Shabeeb’s family with EGP 1m.
In most cases, the verdict is appealed and the officers receive lighter sentences later.
