ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, July 1 (UPI) -- Two Egyptian security officers were charged with using excessive force in the alleged beating death of a 28-year-old in Alexandria in June, court records show.
Thousands of demonstrators in northern Egypt chanted "Down with Mubarak," the Egyptian president, during protests Friday against the alleged police beating of 28-year-old Khaled Saeed.
Witnesses told the BBC that more than 2,000 people took part in the demonstrations..
The demonstrations were sparked by the death of Saeed, who was allegedly beaten to death by police in early June. The protests were led by Egyptian diplomat Mohammed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency who returned to Cairo in February as an advocate of political change.
Two plainclothes police officers were charged in an Egyptian court with using excessive force in the arrest of Saeed, whom authorities said suffocated. The charges carry a 1-year prison term, the BBC reports Thursday.
The officer don't face murder charges.
