Egypt: Death sentence upheld for 21 defendants over football riots

On March 9, the Egyptian Supreme Court upheld the death sentences for 21 defendants in the riot at a football match that killed 77 people and injured 1,000 in February 2012.

Of the remaining 54 defendants, five were sentenced to life in prison, 10 to various terms of imprisonment and 28 were acquitted. All of the defendants were Al-Masry supporters or officials and police officers in the city.streetPortSaid. No police officials were sentenced to life in prison or death. General Essam Samak, the former head of Port Said's security department, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Al Ahli fans celebrate by lighting flares after hearing the verdict.
- Photo: Reuters

Most of the victims in the match between Al-Masry and Al Ahli were Al Ahli fans. About 1,000 Al Ahli fans cheered, sang, waved team flags and set off fireworks after hearing the verdict.

Judges delivered the verdict from the Egyptian Police Department based on the outskirts of the capital.Cairo.

Meanwhile in the citystreetPortSaid - where all the defendants are being held - has been in a state of unrest for days. Since the beginning of the week, at least seven people - both civilians and police - have been killed in riots.

And there were riots immediately after the verdict. Some protesters tried to block the Canal.Suezby untying the mooring lines of speedboats so they floated in the harbor. Others tried to block the ferries.The situation was so dire that troops with tank support on the ground and helicopters in the air were mobilized to defend the canal.

Remember in January 2013 when the court sentenced 21 defendants to death, riots broke out in the city of Port Said when many people wanted to break out of prison to save their relatives. The riots left 22 people dead.Port Said has a poor relationship with Cairo because it believes that the Egyptian central government does not pay enough attention and does not reinvest enough of the tax money the city deserves.

Immediately after the decision, besides the Al Ahli fans who were happy with the verdict, some of the team's extremist fans were angry because they thought the sentence for the police was too light. They burned down the three-story building that houses the Egyptian Football Federation headquarters in a wealthy area of ​​the capital.CairoNext door, a club reserved for police officers also caught fire.

In addition, this group of fans also began marching to Tahrir Square, a familiar location for protests in the capital.Cairo.

"The court's verdict is fair to Al Ahli. And the team also supports the families of Al Masry supporters whose children died in the riots. We will continue the lawsuit until justice is served to everyone," Al Ahli's website said.

According to Tuoitre-M