CAIRO, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Three Egyptian soldiers are on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of 14 civilians killed in the Maspero clashes in Cairo, a rights group said.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said the trial of Mahmoud Suleiman, Karam Hamed and Mahmoud Taha began Tuesday, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
Twenty-seven Coptic protesters and one soldier died in clashes Oct. 9 outside the Maspero building in Cairo.
The defendants are members of the central military command led by Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Human rights groups have accused the military of mowing down protesters with armored vehicles. The government has said the deaths were not deliberate and accused the defendants of haphazard driving, the newspaper said.
