Egypt’s Court Acquits Suez Security Officials over 2011 Uprising Killings

An Egyptian court, convened east of Cairo, acquitted on Thursday 14 security officials and police officers being tried over the killings of protesters in the Canal city of Suez during the 2011 uprising, judicial sources said.

Former Suez security chief Mohamed Abdel-Hady, along with three other officials and 10 policemen, were accused of killing 17 demonstrators and injuring 300 others on 28 January 2011, dubbed “Friday of Rage.”

Egyptian businessman and member of the now-defunct National Democratic Party Ibrahim Farag, along with his three sons, were also found not guilty of the same charges. Farag — known in Suez as “the killer of protesters” — and his family were said to have opened fire from a rooftop at protesters in Suez, killing or injuring dozens.

Over 840 people were killed during the 11-day uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The excessive use of force and live rounds by security forces was widely blamed for the deaths.

To date, however, Egypt’s judiciary has failed to convict anyone belonging to the security apparatus for murder during the protests.

The lack of convictions has continued to be a source of resentment for victims’ families who have repeatedly complained that officers complicit in the deaths continue to go unpunished.

Source: Aswat Masriya