Prosecutor says stripped, beaten man accuses police

Monday 04-02-2013 02:15 PM
Prosecutor says stripped, beaten man accuses police

Protesters throw stones and molotov cocktails at security forces inside the presidential palace during clashes between protesters and police in front of the palace, in Cairo February 1, 2013. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

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The Egyptian prosecution said on Sunday that Hamada Saber changed his testimony and accused the security forces of firing at him and assaulting him.

Local satellite channels and international media had aired footage of Saber being attacked, dragged and stripped naked by riot police at a Friday protest by the presidential palace.

Saber and his wife appeared on national television at a police hospital a day after the attack and claimed that protesters, not riot police, assaulted and stripped him in search for his money.

As suspicions that the man and his wife were threatened to falsely testify started rising, Saber's family members, including his daughter, started coming forward to the media and confirming that he was in fact threatened to not blame the police for the attacks.

His testimony changed after the prosecution questioned him over the video.

The video sparked fury over the weekend especially among opposition forces who condemned the use of violence against protesters and an apologetic reaction from the interior ministry.

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