MOSCOW (Sputnik) — An Egyptian court on Saturday acquitted all 17 suspects of "illegal protest" charges following a peaceful march in January, in which a protester was allegedly killed by a police officer, local media reported Saturday.
The demonstration in January, held in downtown Cairo to mark the 2011 Egyptian revolution, made international headlines after the death of local activist Shaimaa Sabbagh. The protester was allegedly shot dead by a Cairo police who fired birdshot ammunition to disperse the march.
25 January 2015, 18:00 GMT
The 17 defendants were charged with staging an unauthorized rally after first coming forward to testify in the murder trial of Sabbagh, according to Ahram daily.
The policeman, accused of killing the female activist, is currently on trial, according to Ahram.
The court ruling came two years after a law was enacted in Egypt banning all demonstrations without prior approval by police.
