08 January 2025 GMT: 10:43

Eleven fans sentenced to death in 2012 Port Said retrial

Port Said protest

By Mark Baber
April 20 – Eleven fans were sentenced to death on Sunday over the February 2012 Port Said stadium riot which left 74 people dead and more than 500 injured. The sentences have been referred to Egypt’s grand mufti whose opinion is required before any execution can take place.

In all, 73 people are on trial over the Port Said riot – including nine policemen, three officials of the home club – Al Masry – and fans of Al Masry who were allegedly involved in the murder and mayhem as Al Ahly fans were attacked with knives, stones, bottles, and fireworks during and after a match in 2012.

The retrial was ordered by the appeals court in February 2014 after the verdicts in an earlier trial including 21 death penalty verdicts were overturned.

The case has become heavily politicised as Al-Ahly fans, who played a significant role in the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, blamed police for allowing the attack on their supporters by the Al Masry fans to continue and for preventing Al-Ahly fans from escaping the assault.

The ongoing case has sparked further violence and deaths in the country as rival gangs of supporters have protested or supported the various verdicts.

The court is expected to deliver final decisions on May 30, although two of those sentenced on Sunday are on the run.

Despite high profile death penalty verdicts of large numbers of people in Egypt, and an estimated 500-1000 people currently under sentence of death, actual executions have been rare with eight executions in 2014 (three men and one woman for robbery and murder and four men for murder), but none in 2012, 2013 or so far in 2015.

Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1736332840labto1736332840ofdlr1736332840owedi1736332840sni@r1736332840ebab.1736332840kram1736332840


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