Egypt says 2 policemen to stand trial over detainee’s death

CAIRO – Egypt’s state news agency says two policemen will go on trial next month on charges of killing a detainee.

Dozens of people attacked a police station in Cairo’s Mokattam neighbourhood on Jan. 6 after a young detainee held on drug-related suspicions died in custody. Police arrested 43 protesters.

The state-run MENA news agency said the two policemen will go on trial Feb. 15. No date has been set for the protesters.

Anger at widespread police brutality helped spark the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Rights groups say mistreatment and torture are still widespread in Egyptian prisons, allegations denied by the government.

Egypt banned all unauthorized protests in 2013 as part of a sweeping crackdown on dissent.