CAIRO - Amidst a torrent of flashing cameras, the family of blogger Khaled Saeed, who was allegedly tortured and killed by police a year ago, Monday visited his grave in the coastal city of Alexandria, as thousands of activists nationwide staged mourning demonstrations on his first death anniversary. Since his death on June 6 last year, Saeed has become a symbol for rights activists and politicians against police brutality, which is seen as systematic in Egypt. Saeed's mother's and sister Zahra wept while reading verses from the Holy Qur'an at his grave. "I do pray for my son whom I miss so much. I do mourn him and want to say Khaled's death came to a great value for our country," said his mother, Leila Marzouq. Only Saeed's family and photojournalists visited the grave. "Thousands wanted to join us in the cemetery. However, we asked them to hold the commemoration vigilance outside the house and in Cleopatra Square," said his sister Zahara. The death of Saeed is believed to be one of the triggers of the January 25 revolution, after images of his battered face were circulated across social media sites. Thousands of Egyptians, joined by human rights activists and politicians wearing in black, held protests in 18 governorates marking the death of Saeed, whose alleged torturers are expected to be judged on June 27. Amr Moussa, a potential presidential candidate, mourned Saeed's death in a statement, stressing that uprooting torture would be his top priority. "In the first anniversary of Khaled's death, full support should be given to peaceful ways of expressing opinions," the statement read. Ayman Nour, another presidential contender, and dozens of political figures showed up in the protests, which were announced on "We Are All Khaled Saeed", a Facebook group dedicated to the slain blogger. Routine police abuse and torture, rife in Hosni Mubarak's era, were a driving force behind the massive popular protests that ousted the veteran strongman.
