The criminal department of the Court of Cassation decided on Saturday to accept the appeals presented in the case of Khaled Said. Both the prosecution and defendants appealed sentences issued in October 2011 against police officers Mahmoud Salah and Awad Ismail; the two policemen were sentenced seven years in prison for cruel treatment, wrongful arrest and torture. Said was dragged outside an internet cafe and beaten by two policemen in Alexandria in 2010; they smashed his head against marble stairs which led to his death, according to witnesses. The police then claimed he was a drug dealer who choked on a packet of drugs he swallowed. An independent forensic report showed the packet was forced into his throat after his death. The Alexandria Criminal Court scheduled the retrial for 1 June. “This brings us back to square one," said Khaled Said's lawyer, Mahmoud Afify. He added that the court can either toughen the punishment or mitigate it; it can also support the initial sentence. “Anything is expected, the court can even find them not guilty and then my brother's rights will be lost forever," said Zahra, Said's sister. Said was viewed as a victim of police brutality. His incident is widely viewed as one of the main reasons for igniting the 25 January Revolution in 2011.
