The fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak was marked by pro-democracy protests across Egypt, with at least eleven deaths after riot police backed by soldiers attempted to quell the protests.
Clashes erupted on Sunday following the death of activist Shaimaa al Sabbagh, who was shot yesterday during a march by the socialist Popular Alliance party in central Cairo. Photos of her during the peaceful protest and after she was hit by birdshot were widely shared on social media. Fellow activists accused police of shooting Ms al Sabbagh in the back.
“Shaima was killed in cold blood.” Medhat al-Zahid, vice president of the Socialist Popular Alliance party told a news conference. Interior Ministry spokesperson Hany Abdel Latif said an investigation into her death had begun, adding: “No one is above the law.”
A police officer was killed during clashes in Cairo, with other protestors killed in the capital and in the northern city of Alexandria.
Tahrir Square, the symbolic location of the protests in 2011, was sealed off by security forces, after last year's anniversary protests left dozens of people dead.