Egypt executes 3 for 2013 murder of police officer

By Aydogan Kalabalik

CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian authorities on Wednesday executed three people convicted of killing a senior police officer in 2013, according to human rights sources.

Egypt's "Ministry of Interior executed three opponents convicted of killing Major General Nabil Farrag," Alaa Abdel-Munsef, a human rights activist, said.

The activist identified the three executed individuals as "Mohamed Farag, Mohamed Hemeida and Salah Hassan."

On Jan. 20, 2018 Egypt’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest appellate court, upheld the death sentences handed down earlier against the three men.

The court sentenced four others to life imprisonment who were previously handed down death sentences and upheld a 10-year imprisonment sentence to five other defendants. One individual was acquitted.

The Egyptian authorities, however, have yet to confirm the reports, while lawyers of the condemned trio were not immediately available for comment.

In September 2013, Farrag was killed and nine troops of the police and military were injured in a security operation in western Cairo to arrest individuals suspected of violence.

A Cairo criminal court first ruled death sentences against 12 defendants including five tried in absentia and acquitted 11 other defendants in the same case.

All the defendants faced charges of murder and attempted murder as well possessing weapons, the charges the defendants denied.