Egypt sentences policeman to die for protest deaths

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An Egyptian criminal court sentenced a police officer to death in absentia on Sunday for killing protesters during demonstrations that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, said a judicial source.

The source said Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel-Monem was convicted of killing 20 protesters on January 28, one of the most violent days of the 18-day uprising that unseated Mubarak on February 11. The court referred the case to the Grand Mufti, Egypt’s religious authority who must approve all death sentences, Reuters reports.

The sentence against Abdel-Monem, who has evaded capture, is scheduled to be confirmed on June 26 after the Mufti’s approval.