Egyptian prosecutors ordered on Thursday the questioning of 10 policemen over the death of a man in custody after a medical examiner's report stated that he had been tortured, a judicial source said. Magdi Makeen, a 53-year-old fish vendor, was arrested late last month after a brawl with a policeman. Makeen later died at a police station in a working-class Cairo neighbourhood. Makeen's lawyer said that the autopsy report was delivered to prosecutors Wednesday and proves that his client was tortured. A police officer and nine low-ranking policemen will be questioned over the death on Monday, the judicial source said. The policemen have denied physically assaulting Makeen or two other people who were arrested with him. Earlier this year, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi pledged to hold accountable policemen guilty of "violations" after a series of deaths in police custody, allegedly by torture, sparked public outcry. The interior ministry has stated that such violations represent isolated incidents, while critics believe that a climate of impunity prevails among policemen in the country.
