Egypt Court Orders Retrial in Deadly Football Riot Case
An Egyptian appeals court on Thursday ordered the retrial of dozens of defendants including 21 people sentenced to death for a 2012 football stadium riot that killed 74 people, judicial sources said.
The court accepted appeals by 62 defendants against a March ruling by a court that had confirmed death sentences for 21 defendants and handed down jail terms to 24 people, judicial sources said.
The stadium riot in February 2012, in the canal city of Port Said, was the deadliest sport-related incident in modern Egyptian history.
The court also accepted the prosecution's appeal against the exoneration in March of 28 defendants, including seven police officers, according to Egypt's state news agency MENA.
The clashes in the Port Said stadium between fans of home team Al-Masry and Cairo's Al-Ahly left 74 people dead and sparked days of violent protests in Cairo, in which another 16 people were killed.
Hardcore fans of Al-Ahly club known as the Ultras, who played a key role in the 2011 uprising that toppled veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak, took to the streets to demand punishment for those responsible for the stadium deaths.
A year after the incident, dozens also died in violent clashes that erupted after a court handed down the 21 death sentences.
Source: Agence France Presse
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