Egyptian death sentences sparks deadly clashes
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
(Death toll reaches 30 later)
Cairo (dpa) - An Egyptian court ruling on Saturday sentencing 21 defendants to death for their role in deadly riots after a football match last year sparked clashes that left at least 26 people dead.
Seventy-three people, including sports officials and policemen, were charged with premeditated murder or negligence in connection with the rioting at Port Said stadium in February.
The riots broke out between rival fans of the hosts al-Masry and the visiting team al-Ahly following a Premier League match, killing 74 people. It was the country's worst football tragedy in more than a decade.
The verdict for the remaining 52 defendants will be given on March 9, the judge said. Most of the defendants did not attend the session, held in Cairo, for security reason.
The death sentences still await approval by Egypt's top cleric Al-Azhar's Mufti Ali Gomaa, as customary in Egyptian law.
All defendants have the right to appeal. None of those sentenced on Saturday were policemen.
Following the sentencing, fierce clashes erupted in Port Said between protesters and police forces, with Al-Masry fans and families of the defendants saying the case is politically motivated.
Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, who tried to storm the prison where defendants were being held. They also set fire to a police station close by, according to state media.
Casualties were caused by gunshots and choking from tear gas, the health ministry said.
At least two policemen were among the dead on Saturday, the ministry of interior said. Almost 300 were injured.
Two football players, one from Al-Masry and another from the city's al-Marikh Club, were among those killed, local media reported.
Clashes prompted army forces to deploy to Port Said, a northern coastal city, to protect vital institutions and restore security.
Army forces tightened its control on the central prison, power and water stations and other vital government buildings by the afternoon, the army spokesman Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Ali said.
However, hundreds of Al-Ahly team supporters, known as the Ultras, celebrated the verdicts by setting off fireworks and singing on the streets of Cairo.
The families of victims, who attended the reading of the verdict in court, shouted "God is great" as they carried pictures of some of those killed in the football riot.
Ahead of the verdict, Al-Ahly Ultras, who played a key role during the mass protests over the past two years, said that they will seek retribution if death sentences were not handed down.
After last year's match, al-Masry fans stormed the pitch and started attacking al-Ahly players and fans. Spectators were hit with knives and pushed from top of the stadium, according to witness accounts after the riots.
Al-Ahly Ultras accused police forces of conspiring against them with their rivals.
The violence comes one day after nine people were killed in a wave of violence that erupted across Egypt Friday, marking the second anniversary of a revolt that toppled former president Hosny Mubarak.
Protesters clashed with police forces in several provinces.
On Saturday, protesters called for revenge during a funeral march held for those killed in Suez city, blaming Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group and security forces for the deaths.
Clashes also erupted near the parliament building in Cairo on Saturday.
"The National Salvation Front holds President Mohammed Morsi fully responsible for the excessive violence used by security forces against protesters and calls for an unbiased committee to investigate and punish those responsible for the bloodshed," Egypt's biggest largest coalition said.
They threatened to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections and call for mass protests next week, if their demands for political changes were not met.
They also called for suspending the Islamist-drafted constitution and forming a national rescue government.
The recent constitution referendum had left the country polarized, with the secular and liberal opposition saying the charter could undermine political and minority rights.
Morsi, Egypt's first civilian president, has cancelled a trip to Ethiopia where he was going to attend an African summit scheduled for Sunday.
He held an emergency meeting with the National Defence Council, which includes the ministers of defence, justice and information, to discuss the unrest in the country and how to hold accountable those responsible.
On Friday, Morsi appealed for calm and vowed that authorities would bring lawbreakers to justice.
"I call on all citizens to adhere to the noble principles of the Egyptian revolution in expressing opinion freely and peacefully," he said on his official Facebook page.
