An Egyptian court on Saturday postponed the trial of two police officers who are being charged in the murder of an Egyptian activist last summer in Alexandria. The trial will convene again in late October after the victim’s lawyer asked for the delay.
Khaled Said has become a symbol for the opposition after he was beaten to death by police outside an Internet cafe in Alexandria for posting videos showing police corruption.
Said was killed in June, which led to nationwide protests of anger over the police actions.
“They killed the young man in cold blood because they didn’t like what he was doing,” said Omar Hassan, a 28-year-old activist in Alexandria, in reference to the anti-corruption videos Said had posted from an Internet cafe.
“Why they are not being charged with the murder of a person is ridiculous,” he added.
Awad Suleiman and Mahmoud Salah are not being charged with direct responsibility in the death of Said on June 6, despite witnesses and rights groups reports that police dragged Said onto the street where they beat him to death.
If convicted, the officers could face up to 15-years in prison, but Khaled Abdel-Rahman, a government law clerk in Alexandria admitted that they are unlikely to receive the full penalty. And this is if they are convicted.
“Right now, I don’t know if they will be convicted to the letter of the law. It is more likely they will get a slap on the hand and the government will be able to say ‘we punish our wrongdoers’,” Abdel-Rahman said in a telephone conversation with Bikya Masr.
Police reports argue that the young man died after choking on a bag of drugs. Activists and observers tell a much different story.
The initial investigation by prosecutors brought two witnesses, provided by the police, who claimed that Khaled Said swallowed a packet of drugs when he saw the policemen. One of the prosecutors ordered a medical examination which proved that Said died of asphyxiation. Further, the Ministry of Interior released a statement in which it was claimed that Said was a wanted criminal with two convictions in absentia; however, his family denied this and eyewitnesses told the media that he was murdered by police.
Attorney-General Abdel Magid Mahmoud ordered the investigation to be re-opened and appointed a committee of three doctors to conduct a new forensic investigation. Their report confirmed that the cause of death was asphyxiation and the injuries on his body were a result of the beatings during arrest.
“Witness accounts and the photographs of Khaled Said’s mangled face constitute strong evidence that plainclothes security officers beat him in a vicious and public manner,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “All those involved should be speedily interrogated, and the prosecutor should fully investigate what caused the fractures and trauma clearly evident on his body.”
Photos of Said’s battered and deformed face published on the internet show a fractured skull, dislocated jaw, broken nose, and numerous other signs of trauma. Khaled’s brother, Ahmed Said, confirmed the authenticity of the pictures to Human Rights Watch. Nine witnesses came forward to describe the beating.