Egypt court upholds lengthy jail terms against 45 over deadly riot

CAIRO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian top court on Saturday upheld the lengthy jail terms against 45 defendants over a deadly riot in the eastern province of Port Said in 2013, official MENA news agency reported.

The riot left 42 people dead, including two policemen, MENA said.

The Court of Cassation upheld the rulings of a criminal court in late April 2016, which sentenced 20 of them to 25 years in prison and the rest from five to 10 years.

The rulings on Saturday are final, as they were issued in response to an appeal by the defendants against the initial rulings of the criminal court.

In March 2013, a furious mob gathered outside the Port Said police station, in protest of a previous court execution order over a deadly riot in the seaside province following a football match in 2012.

Some 72 fans were killed and hundreds of others wounded in the worst-ever football riot in Egypt that erupted at the end of a match in February 2012. Enditem