Egypt’s Court of Cassation on Saturday upheld the death sentence against three defendants over the murder of Giza’s former Assistant Security Chief Nabil Farrag, who was shot to death in 2013. The court downgraded the death sentences against four other defendants to lifetime sentences while upholding 10-years prison sentences for five others in the case. The earlier ruling of the North Cairo Criminal Court in September 2016 sentenced seven defendants to death and five others to 10 years in prison each for the murder of Farrag. Farrag was shot dead during a raid on Kerdasa village, southern Giza, in September 2013, as security forces attempted to root out suspected Islamist criminals. The raid on the village was partly aimed at catching suspects in the murder of 12 police officers working at the local police department one month earlier.

Source: Egypt Independent January 20, 2018 12:45 UTC