Egypt sentences policeman to die for protest deaths

An Egyptian criminal court sentenced a police officer to death in absentia on Sunday for killing protesters during demonstrations that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, a judicial source said on Sunday.

The source said Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel-Monem was convicted of killing 20 protesters on Jan. 28, one of the most violent days of the 18-day uprising that unseated Mubarak on February 11. The court referred the case to the Grand Mufti, Egypt's religious authority who must approve all death sentences.

The sentence against Abdel-Monem, who has evaded capture, is scheduled to be confirmed on June 26 after the Mufti's approval.