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Police held over Egypt activist fled jail -sources

by (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Click For Restrictions. http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 1 February 2011 16:25 GMT

CAIRO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Two Egyptian policemen accused of torturing to death an anti-corruption activist who became a cause celebre for online campaigners have escaped from a prison in Alexandria, security and legal sources said on Tuesday.

One of the driving forces for Egypt's calls for change that led to the mass protests to bring down President Hosni Mubarak was a Facebook group set up by activists enraged at Khaled Said's death that drew hundreds of thousands of users.

The policemen went on trial in July charged with the illegal arrest and torture of Said, who died in their custody. State authorities say he choked on drugs.

A legal source said he had been contacted by one of the policemen asking whether he should stay out of prison or surrender to the police. Security sources said the two officers escaped from the prison along with many other inmates.

Egyptians say security forces act with impunity under an emergency law allowing indefinite detention and curbs on anti-government activity. Ending the law is one of the top demands of the mass protests that began last Tuesday.

The government says the emergency law is aimed at dealing with drug and terrorism cases. (Writing by Yasmine Saleh; Editing by Alison Williams)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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