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Egypt judicial panel to investigate torture claims

The three-judge panel, headed by Mostafa Sharafeddine, will “examine cases of torture in police stations whether they happened before of after the January 25 revolution,” the official said.

“Those found guilty will be referred to a criminal court,” he said.

Routine police abuse and torture were prevalent during the Mubarak era and were a driving force behind the massive popular protests that ousted him on February 11.

The most high-profile case to have dominated headlines and sparked demonstrations was of Khaled Said, a 28-year-old man beaten to death by two undercover police officers on an Alexandria street last year.

A Facebook page dedicated to him, “We are all Khaled Said,” was one of several that helped launch the call for anti-regime protests on January 25.

Last month, Interior Minister Mansur Essawy ordered an investigation into the case of a man who died following police questioning, in what some media called the first post-revolt incident of police torture.