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Egyptian policeman gets 5 years in prison for killing 37 prisoners

August 14, 2015 at 11:34 am

The Khanka Misdemeanour Court of Appeals sentenced a police officer to five years hard labour on Thursday having found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and extreme negligence over the killing of 37 prisoners. A further three officers were given one-year suspended sentences, a court official said.

The officer concerned, Amr Farouk, was originally sentenced in March last year to 10 years in prison but he appealed and his appeal was upheld. All of those sentenced in Khanka this week can appeal again to the Court of Cassation, which has the power to confirm the final verdict or cancel it.

On 18 August 2013, Farouk was the deputy director of Heliopolis police station; along with the other three officers, he threw tear gas canisters inside a prisoner transport van. There were 45 prisoners packed inside the overcrowded vehicle in very high temperatures. Thirty-seven were killed, mainly Muslim Brotherhood supporters, and the incident sparked national and international outrage.