Caior: An Egyptian court on Saturday acquitted 17 people of violating a strict protest law earlier this year at a march commemorating a 2011 uprising, judicial sources said, a rare decision since Egypt introduced the statute in late 2013.
The demonstration in January caught the world’s attention after the death of 32-year-old protester Shaimaa Sabbagh was caught on video.
The public prosecutor has separately charged a police officer who allegedly fired birdshot to try to disperse the protest in connection with Sabbagh’s death.
Defence lawyer Sayed Abu Al Ila, who was photographed with Sabbagh dying in his arms, said this was the first acquittal since the protest law came into force in 2013.
The statute curtailed demonstrations, a regular feature of the turbulent years since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, and has landed many leaders of that initial uprising behind bars.
“I am not pleased by an acquittal at the expense of Shaimaa’s blood,” Abu Al Ila told reporters. “Shaimaa sacrificed her life to oppose an unjust law, and the law is still in place.” President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi has come under pressure over what critics perceive as heavy-handed security tactics since the army overthrew President Mohammad Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following protests.
A crackdown that began with the deaths of hundreds of Brotherhood supporters and the imprisonment of thousands more has expanded to include other activists.
