New autopsy backs Egypt police claim that man allegedly beaten by police died swallowing drugs
By APWednesday, June 23, 2010
New autopsy backs Egypt police claim in death case
CAIRO — Egypt’s prosecutor general says a new autopsy of an alleged victim of police brutality has confirmed earlier police claims the man choked to death while trying to swallow a packet of drugs.
Chief Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud last week ordered another autopsy of Khaled Said.
The 28-year-old businessman from Alexandria died June 6 after an encounter with plainclothes security men. His family and Egyptian opposition groups said he was beaten to death by police.
The case became a rallying point for government critics who denounced it as an example of rampant police abuses under a three-decade-old emergency law during President Hosni Mubarak’s rule.
The case led to street protests in Cairo and Alexandria. The U.S. State Department called for a transparent investigation.
