CAIRO — Riot police fired tear gas Saturday to disperse demonstrators throwing stones outside an Alexandria courtroom where the city's ex-security director and other officers are on trial for the killing of protesters during Egypt's 2011 uprising.
Mohammed Ibrahim, the former security director of the Mediterranean coastal city, faces trial along with five other police officers for taking part in excessive violence against protesters during the revolt that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
Dozens of demonstrators had gathered outside the courthouse to express anger over what they see as a lack of accountability for the killing of protesters. Those who took part in the uprising say the nation's legacy of police impunity and the use of brute force by security agencies cannot be ended without real reform.
Activists and family members of those killed in Alexandria during the uprising led the demonstration outside the courtroom ahead of the start of Saturday's trial. Most of their slogans focused on the police but it was not immediately clear how the clashes broke out. There were no immediate reports of injury.
Earlier, an Egyptian criminal court has invoked a presidential amnesty and dismissed charges against 379 people accused of taking part in deadly clashes with police.
The charges stem from nearly two weeks of street fighting on downtown Cairo's Mohammed Mahmoud street in November 2011 that left 42 people dead.
Young protesters, mostly die-hard soccer fans known as Ultras, led the November 2011 demonstrations against police near the Interior Ministry and Tahrir Square, the hub of Cairo's activist movement. They were demanding a timetable for the military officers who were then ruling the country to hand over power and hold presidential elections, and denouncing violent security crackdowns on sit-ins.
Judge Gamal Eddin Rushdi said Saturday that his decision was based on the pardon issued by President Mohammed Morsi.
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