(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Families of the January 25 Revolution’s martyrs in Suez began protesting in the city’s El-Arbaeen Square Monday after a criminal court released, on bail, 14 police officers accused of killing protesters during the 18-day-uprising.
About 100 family members of the martyrs have blocked off the Cairo-Seuz desert road, in protest.
Gamal Owais, a lawyer and member of the Suez Youth Bloc, told Ahram Online: “We don’t know when we are going to open the roads; we are not only protesting the verdict; we are protesting the way the military and the police are treating the families of the martyrs.”
Some protesters vowed to seek extrajudicial vengeance. Tamer Radwan, brother of martyr Sherif Radwan, declared: “The law is over now and we need to avenge the blood of the Suez martyrs.”
“We knew well that this verdict would be issued, even before the session. The [accused] officers knew it too,” he added.
Demonstrators are currently considering the option of staging a sit-in in the square.
Suez’s criminal court released each police officers on a LE10,000 bail.
In what is becoming a recurrent scene, the families of the martyrs, angry at the court’s decision, attempted to break into the courthouse shortly after the verdict was returned.
They clashed with security personnel in the process.
The police officers, some high-ranking, were indicted on charges of deliberate manslaughter, having fired live rounds at peaceful demonstrators during the 18-day uprising.
The trial will resume on 14 September.
Over 1000 were killed during those 18 days which ended on 11 February with the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak.
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