Court acquits 2 policemen accused of torturing Egyptian lawyer

CAIRO – 13 May 2018: The Criminal Court which was held at the Police Academy acquitted on Sunday two policemen of torturing Egyptian lawyer, Karim Hamdi.

The two officers were accused of torturing the lawyer to death inside El-Matarya Police Station.

In February, another two policemen were also accused of beating Mohamed Abdel Hakim Mahmoud, aka Afroto, to death, while he was held in custody at Cairo's Mokattam Police Station.

The death of Afroto, 22, who was being held over accusations of drug dealing, has stirred public anger and protests slamming police violence. The police denied accusations of torturing Afroto.

Earlier in September, HRW published a report accusing the Egyptian authorities of torturing prisoners, and calling on the United Nations to punish those who commit such violations. The report interviewed a number of detainees who were tortured by police in the period from 2014 to 2016, according to the report.

In response to the HRW report, the Foreign Ministry condemned "the unfounded and biased" report, which manifests unprofessionalism at its best, quoting unknown and anonymous sources.

The ministry further condemned that the group deliberately ignored the progress made in the field of promoting human rights in Egypt over the past few years, demonstrating its deliberate intention to promote and incite violence.