New evidence proves activist ‘intentionally’ murdered in 2015

CAIRO – 19 June 2017: The “intentional murder” of activist Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh has been proved by lawyers as new documents and evidence presented to the court shows the exact way she was shot during a peaceful march January 24, 2015, the head of the Socialist Popular Alliance Legal Committee, lawyer Ali Soliman, said in a Sunday statement.

"The killer will get his punishment this time per the new evidence that proves our claim," Soliman said.

In June 2015, police officer Yaseen Hatem was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing Sabbagh. In February 2016, however, a retrial was granted. The next hearing in the retrial is scheduled for Monday.

Sabbagh, 32, was shot dead downtown Cairo as she marched to Tahrir Square carrying a wreath to honor the victims of the 2011 uprising.

Police forces were trying to break up the march celebrating the fourth anniversary of the January 25 Revolution when Sabbagh was shot. Images of Sabbagh’s bleeding body went viral across social media, sparking public outrage and condemnation.

Sabbagh was fatally shot in the back from a range of 3-8 meters, according to the official forensic report. Images of the protest’s dispersal were captured showing Sabbagh before and after she was shot.

The Socialist Popular Alliance, of which Sabbagh was a member, accused the police of killing her and condemned their “excessive use of force” in dispersing the protest. However, the then-Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim denied the allegations in a press conference after the incident. He claimed Sabbagh was killed by “an outsider who infiltrated the protest.”