Thousands protest police brutality
A protest of thousands of people demanding an end to police brutality and torture passed through the streets of the Egyptian city of Alexandria on Friday. The protest was the latest in a series following the suspected murder of 28-year-old Khaled Said by police officers on 6 June.
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Such numbers are rare in Egypt, where police do not tolerate large political gatherings.
Heba Morayaf on police brutality in Egypt
Heba Morayef of Human Rights Watch in Cairo said there is a culture of impunity toward police brutality in Egypt.
"The prosecutor has yet to interrogate the officers responsible for the beating itself, or their superiors," Morayef said in an interview with RFI.
"They are responsible for this beating which at least ten witnesses so far have testified took place."
According to witnesses, Said was killed when plainclothes policemen dragged him out of an Internet cafe and beat him to death on a busy Alexandria street.
Disturbing images of Said's battered and bruised face have appeared on social networking websites, parking public outcry and condemnation from local and international rights groups.
The protest was led by former head of the UN atomic energy agency and dissident Mohamed ElBaradei.
They accused Interior Minister Habib al-Adly of being lax on torture cases and demanded his dismissal.
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