Trial adjourned in Maspero protest deaths

CAIRO, March 5 (UPI) -- An Egyptian military court says the trial of soldiers accused of killing civilians is adjourned for a week to allow for testimony from more witnesses.

Twenty-seven protesters and one soldier died in clashes Oct. 9 outside the Maspero building in Cairo. Three military police are charged with killing civilians who were marching to protest the burning of a Coptic Christian church in Edfu.

Human rights groups have accused the military of mowing down protesters with armored vehicles. The government has said the deaths were not deliberate.

The military court Sunday heard testimony from a number of witnesses. The trial will resume March 13, the Egypt Independent reported.