An Egyptian court has confirmed death sentences handed down against 21 people for their role in a deadly 2012 soccer riot that killed more than 70 people in the city of Port Said.
The court on Saturday also sentenced city’s the former security chief, Maj. Gen. Essam Samak, to 15 years in prison.
The 21 death sentences were passed on Jan. 28. Most of those condemned to death are fans of Port Said’s Al-Masry club. The announcement led to protests in the city that some 40 people dead, most of them shot by police.
The Feb. 2012 riot, Egypt’s worst soccer disaster, followed a league game between Al-Masry and Cairo’s Al-Ahly, with Port Said supporters setting upon the visiting fans after the final whistle.
