Egypt high court overturns 15-year jail time for officer convicted of killing activist Shaimaa El-Sabbagh

Egyptian high court overturned the 15 years of prison time sentence to a police officer following the death of a female activist last year. The officer is expected to be released in Monday while he wait for his next trial.

Yassin Mohamed Hatem's sentence received last year of 15-years of  prison time was overturned by the court, and a retrial was ordered as well. According to CNN, Hatem's lawyer Farid El-Deeb, Hatem is expected to be released pending his upcoming trial.

Hatem was found guilty of killing Shaimaa El-Sabbagh in Cairo in January 2015. As reported by ABC News, the killing of the 32-year-old activist, spurred action from authorities after images of her blood running down her face as she leaned on another protester went viral. El-Sabbagh was reportedly shot by a birdshot.

El-Sabbagh was a leader of a socialist party and went to Cairo to lay wreaths in Tahrir Square to commemorate  the lives of the people who died during an uprising in 2011 that caused ejection of Hosni Mubarak from power.

According to International Business Times, several witness claimed that ambulances were not let to pass through to help the bleeding El-Sabbagh to be taken to the hospital. El-Sabbagh's death became a big topic and many have also expressed their condolences during her funeral in Alexandria.

Deeb argued in court that the occasion when El-Sabbagh was killed was "exceptional circumstances" that also created confusion for police authorities. Another 23 people were also killed the day after El-Sabbagh was shot, three of which were police officers.

Hatem's lawyer also asserted that El-Sabbagh's death was a result of the lack of experience of a young police, with no intention of taking the protesters. The recent overturn in judgement of Hatem's case has been linked to other shift in the sentences for officers who were put in trial for killing protesters. 

Tags

Shaimaa el-Sabbagh, Shaimaa El-Sabbagh death, Shaimaa El-Sabbagh killer, Shaimaa El-Sabbagh activist, Egypt, Egyptian Protests, Yassin Mohamed Hatem, Egypt high court

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