Protester shot dead as Egypt police disperse leftist march

An Egyptian female protester was shot dead on Saturday in downtown Cairo as the police dispersed a leftist march heading towards iconic Tahrir Square on the eve of the anniversary of January 25 popular uprising that toppled ex-ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Secretary-general of the leftist Popular Alliance Party, Motaz al-Shinnawi, said in a statement on Saturday that his fellow party member Shaimaa al-Sabbagh was killed after being injured by cartouche shots as the security forces dispersed their march to mark the occasion.

Some local media posted photos of the dead leftist activist with her face and neck covered with blood while her colleagues attempting to rescue her.

Egypt marks January 25 as a national day as Mubarak was ousted on that day four years ago. The state was supposed to hold official celebration on Sunday but mourning the death of late Saudi King Abdullah led the country to cancel the event.

Mostly, Egyptians are divided over January 25 uprising, as some refer it as a popular revolt for change and democracy while others consider it a conspiracy to destabilize Egypt.

The 2011 popular uprising toppled Mubarak and brought the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi to office in 2012, but the former Islamist president was ousted by the military in July 2013 after mass protests against his one-year rule.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who led Morsi's removal as military chief then, made a statement on Saturday and referred to the anniversary of January 25 uprising as "a new torch for hope, progress and action."

"January 25 always pushes us to act strongly and revolutionary for change; to change ourselves at work, at schools and at factories to achieve its goals, which are bread, freedom and social justice," Sisi said. Endit