An Egyptian court sentenced Saturday a policeman to life in
prison for shooting dead a driver over a fare dispute, a
judicial source said, a case that provoked outrage over
police abuses.
Mustafa Mahmud was referred to an expedited trial after he
shot dead Mohamed Ali Sayed Ismail with his police issue
firearm in February, sparking rare protests and an apology
from the interior ministry.
Mahmud had hired Ismail to transport his belongings when
they had a dispute over the fare that turned violent.
A life sentence in Egypt is 25 years. Mahmud can appeal
the verdict issued by the Cairo criminal court.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had said he would ask
parliament to amend the law to toughen sanctions for
police abuses after the incident.
Police have been on the defensive after a string of deaths in
custody, reminiscent of abuses that sparked an 18-day
uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak in
2011.
Five years on, human rights groups are again denouncing
torture and deaths in police stations, arbitrary arrests and
the disappearances of opponents of the regime.
In February, thousands of doctors held a protest against the
police after officers allegedly assaulted two doctors in a
hospital.
Over the past year, several policeman have been detained
for violence against prisoners and some have been
sentenced to jail.
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