An Egyptian court has sentenced the first group of riot police officers involved in the crackdown on protesters against the rule of former President Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.

Five police officers involved in the murders of fellow citizens received 10 years in prison, two more received a year's probation, and 10 people were acquitted.

Earlier, the country's new authorities accused several hundred police officers of using excessive violence against demonstrators who were seeking the resignation of the former president. Cases have also been opened against a number of former chiefs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who gave orders to beat people.

In addition, the former president himself is accused of killing demonstrators. According to investigators, ultimately it is Hosni Mubarak who should bear responsibility for the violence and police chaos on the streets of Cairo in January-February 2011. The prosecutor at the trial of the former president has already demanded the death penalty for him.

As previously reported, the people of Egypt, as a result of the 2011 revolution, were able to overthrow the president who ruled the country with dictatorial methods for three decades. After this, the country held the first free parliamentary elections in its history, and presidential elections will be held in the summer.

Previous authorities tried to suppress the uprising by force, and hundreds of people died as a result of clashes in the center of Cairo and other major cities. The revolution, however, was a success: under pressure from citizens, Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign.

Based on materials from Lenta.ru

Egypt condemns participants in dispersal of demonstrators