CAIRO: A policeman was ordered released pending investigations Tuesday after four days of detention over shooting a lawyer at a court in Nasr City; the prosecution has appealed the decision, Youm7 reported.
Lawyer Mohamed el-Gamal has been hospitalized since he was shot by the policeman, whose identity has not been disclosed, on Saturday. The incident reportedly includes the policeman and a prosecution secretary who engaged in an altercation with Gamal.
A judge was tasked with investigating the case, as the Lawyers’ Syndicate said the prosecution would not be a neutral investigator because it is “a party to the incident.”
The prosecution secretary provided his testimony to the investigator, but was not detained.
Head of the Lawyers’ Syndicate Sameh Ashour and Assistant to Minister of Interior Abou Bakr Abdel Karim have visited Gamal at the hospital, who has reportedly improved. He was shot between the neck and he chest, causing lacerations to his lungs.
The policeman told investigators that employees at the court called on him to arrest “the defendant,” referring to Gamal who left the scene after an argument with the prosecution secretary, triggering the policeman to open fire, according to Youm7.
Lawyers have complained about “maltreatment” by the police and prosecutors in the past months. The Lawyers Syndicate suspended attorney’s work at two courts after Gamal was shot.