Egypt: Ten years imprisonment for the murderer of the Egyptian activist Shaimaa Sabbagh

Egypt- An Egyptian criminal court on Monday sentenced a policeman to 10 years in prison for killing an activist during a march marking the fourth anniversary of a 2011 uprising. First Lieutenant Yaseen Hatem was charged in March 2015 with action that “led to the death” of Shaimaa Sabbagh, a lighter charge than murder, but still a rare action against a member of the security forces. Another court had initially sentenced Hatem to 15 years in June 2015, but the ruling was overturned by the Court of Cassation which ordered a retrial of the case in February, 2016. Sabbagh was killed when Hatem fired birdshot to disperse a march organized in the capital’s centre in January 2015 to commemorate the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.  Sabbagh’s death had sparked outrage from Egyptians who had hoped the 2011 revolt would bring an end to police violence.