CAIRO--An Egyptian protest group Friday hailed the authorities' decision to jail two detectives accused of "being too cruel" to an activist whose family says he was beaten to death by the two policemen last month. "This comes as a victory for the pressure of the protest groups, which have called for exposing the truth in the case of Khaled Saeed through staging protests out in the street and on the Internet," said the opposition group April 6. The death of Seed, 28, on June 6 has sparked public protests and raised concerns among US and European allies and donors. The opposition has used the case to call for an end to the Emergency Law, which they say gives police impunity and stifles dissent. The two policemen-- Mohamed Salah and Awad Ismail-- also face charges of arresting Saeed for no legal reason. Prosecutors in the coastal city of Alexandria this week orderred the two detectives be jailed for four days pending further investigation. An EU statement this week, drawn up by ambassadors, expressing concern about the case prompted the Foreign Ministry to summon envoys in protest, saying the move was "unacceptable interference" in Egypt's affairs, the ministry said on Wednesday. A second governmental autopsy said Saeed had choked on a plastic roll of drugs, confirming the initial findings. It said the injuries he sustained were not the cause of his death. Rights groups say Saeed was beaten to death outside an Internet cafe in the port city of Alexandria. He had earlier posted an Internet video that purportedly showed two policemen sharing in the spoils of a drug bust. US-based Human Rights Watch said there was evidence two plainclothes policemen beat Saeed to death and the the State had failed to explain signs of beatings on his body.
