An Egyptian court has sentenced two undercover policemen to jail for killing Khaled Saeed, whose death last year served as a spark for the Egyptian revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
They were convicted of "using excessive force and torturing Saeed, which lead to his death," according to early reports, although an official statement has yet to be issued by the judge.
Alexandria Criminal Court sentenced Mahmoud Abu Ghazala and Awad Ismail to seven years in jail, judicial sources said on Wednesday.
On 24 September, lawyers in the case began discussions with forensic officers on the most recent forensic report into Saeed's death. Since that time, a gag order was placed on all media reporting on the court sessions.
The report concluded that the police officers had forced a marijuana joint into the mouth of the victim after he lost consciousness. The original forensic report prepared immediately after Saeed's death suggested that he had swallowed the joint in order to hide it from police.
Khaled Saeed was killed on 6 June 2010 after being beaten by two policemen, who had arrested him in an internet cafe in Sidi Gaber, Alexandria. He was reportedly arrested after he uploaded videos on the internet showing police officers torturing prisoners.
The crime is still of great interest domestically and internationally and was one of the factors that fueled the revolution in Egypt.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
