Egyptian court acquits 17 charged for protest where activist was killed

CAIRO - An Egyptian court on Saturday acquitted 17 people of charges related to a street protest earlier this year, judicial sources said, a rare decision since Egypt introduced a strict protest law in late 2013.
The demonstration in January, a march marking the anniversary of the uprising against veteran ruler Hosni Mubarak in 2011, caught the world@@@s attention after the shooting death of 32-year-old protester Shaimaa Sabbagh was caught on video.
The public prosecutor has charged a police officer who allegedly fired birdshot to try to disperse the protest.
Defence lawyer Sayed Abu el-Ila, who was photographed with Sabbagh dying in his arms, told Reuters this was the first acquittal since the protest law came into force in 2013.
The statute curtailed demonstrations, a regular feature of the turbulent years since Mubarak@@@s overthrow, and has landed many of the leaders of that initial uprising behind bars.
"I am not pleased by an acquittal at the expense of Shaimaa@@@s blood," Abu el-Ila told reporters. "Shaimaa sacrificed her life to oppose an unjust law, and the law is still in place."
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