Egypte : un poste de police incendié

Europe1.fr

3 juin 2011

Un commissariat de la police égyptienne a été incendié vendredi dans le centre du Caire par des émeutiers qui protestaient contre la mort en garde à vue d’un chauffeur de minibus. Selon les manifestants, Mohamed Saïd, qui était âgé de 40 ans, est mort après avoir été arrêté lors d’un accrochage avec des policiers provoqué par un contrôle de permis de conduire. Les causes de son décès n’ont pas été établies avec certitude, mais sa famille a affirmé qu’il avait été torturé par des policiers.

Le rassemblement organisé autour du poste de police en présence de 200 personnes environ a dégénéré en émeute. La police a dû faire usage de gaz lacrymogènes et tirer des coups de feu en l’air pour disperser la foule. L’incendie a été maîtrisé.

Egyptian crowd sets Cairo police station ablaze

reuters.com

Fri Jun 3, 2011

CAIRO, June 3 (Reuters) – Egyptians protesting the death of a 40-year old Egyptian driver who they say was killed in police custody set a police station in central Cairo on fire, witnesses and security sources said on Friday.

Mohamed Said, 40 years old, clashed with a police officer outside a downtown Cairo station and was taken inside with 13 other mini-bus drivers for parking violations.

Said died later on Friday, witnesses and security sources said. It is not clear what caused his death.

Said’s family accused police of torturing him and gathered around the station in protest, asking to see the body. The crowd of about 200, primarily family members and other drivers, who have a history of clashing with police officers for holding invalid licences, then broke into the station and set it ablaze.

The fire was later put out. Witnesses said crowds also set a police car on fire.

Security sources denied any foul play and said Said seemed to have collapsed because of low blood pressure. His body had been transferred to the morgue for an autopsy. The interior ministry said it was investigating the incident.

Police fired rounds of tear gas and shots into the air to disperse the crowd. The military, which is now ruling Egypt, also arrived at the scene to break-up the clashes. Read more…

Egyptian protesters hit by tear gas after throwing stones at police

cnn.com

June 3, 2011

From Ian Lee, For CNN

Cairo (CNN) — Scores of protesters angry at the death of a Cairo bus driver hit the Egyptian capital’s streets Friday, throwing stones at police and receiving tear gas in response.

About 200 people attended the demonstration near the city’s main train station on Friday. They voiced resentment over the arrest a day earlier of a bus driver after he had an altercation with a police officer. The driver died while in custody.

On Friday, protesters threw rocks at the Cairo police officers. The law enforcement authorities, in turn, fired tear gas on the crowd.

There were no immediate reports on whether there were any injuries or fatalities related to the confrontation, be they police or protesters.

Cairo’s police force — criticized for being too heavy-handed, unfair and corrupt — was a prime focus of demonstrators’ wrath during the revolution earlier this year that culminated in the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak. While the military was largely on the sidelines, protesters confronted police officers, who were allegedly told by Mubarak to fire into crowds. Read more…

~ par Alain Bertho sur 4 juin 2011.

Publié dans émeutes, riots, الشغب