The Court of Cassation accepted on Thursday the challenge of 42 defendants in the Port Said massacre case, but rejected the appeal submitted by the nine others.
The challenge means holding retrials to 42 defendants out of those who received verdicts. The court also accepted the challenge submitted by the prosecution against the acquittal of 28 defendants. They will also be retried.
In March of last year, the Port Said Criminal Court gave varied verdicts to 45 defendants, and acquitted 28 others, including the police leaders. The verdicts include the death sentence to 21 defendants, life imprisonment to five others, 15 years in prison for another 10 defendants, 10 years in prison for six defendants, five years for two defendants and one year in jail for one defendant.
The defendants face the charges of murder, inciting murder and facilitating the murder 72 fans Ahly, most of which belong to hardcore fan group Ultras Ahlawy, after a football match between Cairo-based club al-Ahly and Port Said based al-Masry, in Port said Stadium on the first February 2012.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
