Policeman responsible for the death of Egyptian activist Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh has been arrested

May 18 , 2015 In Cairo, Egypt a criminal court has ordered for the arrest of the police officer accused of killing, activist Shaimaa al-Sabbagh earlier in the year. The court ordered the accused placed in preventive detention.

Sabbagh was a member of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, and was killed while protesting in Downtown Cairo on the 24^th of January 2015, a day before the fourth anniversary of the January 2011 uprising.

Egypt’s top prosecutor identified the prime suspect in the killing as an officer in the central security forces branch of the police that is responsible for handling riots.  The officer has been referred by prosecutors to criminal court where he faces two charges of committing physical assault which led to the death of Sabbagh and also causing deliberate injuries to some others who protested.

The activist’s death caused an outrage and sparked wide condemnation by several Egyptian political parties as well as from international organization such as the global watchdog Human Rights Watch.