Egyptians must wait another three months to hear the verdict against two police officers accused of killing a young man in Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria last year. The Alexandria Criminal Court delayed the issuance of a verdict in the case of Khaled Said's murder to September 24. The decision came after the court accepted a request for the formation of a medical commission, chaired by the deputy chief medical examiner (and not involving any of the members who participated in the first Tripartite Commission) and the assignment of a technical committee of professors of medical colleges in three universities across Egypt to review technical aspects of Said's autopsy. According to the court's decision, issued today by head judge Moussa el-Nahrawy, a verdict will be announced on Sep. 24. The defendants in the case, policemen Mahmoud Salah Mahmoud and Suleiman Awad Ismail, are accused of three charges: arresting a person without justification, the use of force and torture. The court has considered the case in nine sessions in which 18 witnesses gave testimony, in addition to listening to the arguments of the prosecution and defense. The events in question occurred on June 6, 2010 when Said, 28, was arrested on criminal charges while in an internet café near his Alexandria home. He died while in police custody. According to the forensic report issued at the time, Said “appeared to have hash in his possession, so he swallowed it to hide the evidence and consequently choked and died of asphyxiation.” Popular opinion firmly disagrees with the official report, alleging instead that the two defendants beat Said to death. The armed forces took intensive security measures to secure court facilities while the Directorate of Security forces stepped up their presence to secure the courtroom during each phase of the trial.
