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Women Rally In Cairo To Demand Probe Into Activist Shaima Sabbagh's Death

Women Rally In Cairo To Demand Probe Into Activist's Death
Reuters
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In this Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015 photo, 32-year-old mother Shaimaa el-Sabbagh holds a poster during a protest in downtown Cairo. Egypt has sought to distance the police from the weekend shooting death of el-Sabbagh, saying a forensic examination shows she was killed by a type of projectile that is "absolutely" not used by security forces. A senior official from the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the police, also dismissed as "inconsequential" video clips showing two masked, black-clad policemen pointing their rifles in her direction as gunshots rang out and a voice commanded "fire." (AP Photo/Mohammed El-Raaei)

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CAIRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Female protesters gathered in downtown Cairo on Thursday demanding an investigation into the deaths of activist Shaimaa Sabbagh and others they say were killed by Egyptian security forces around the anniversary of the 2011 uprising.

Sabbagh was killed during a march on the eve of the Jan. 25 anniversary and another 25 - men and women - were killed on Sunday in demonstrations commemorating the onset of the popular revolt that toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

The protesters assembled at the site of Sabbagh's death near Cairo's Tahrir Square, chanting "The interior ministry are thugs!" and holding signs with the word "Murderer" scrawled over Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim's face.

About 100 had gathered at the time the demonstration was meant to start at 2.00 pm local time, and protesters appeared to be avoiding blocking the streets by staying on sidewalks.

A number of men stood across the street alongside police officers, making lewd hand gestures and calling the protesters "dogs" and other profanities. One of the rally's organizers said they had called for only women to attend because they feared the protests being infiltrated by plainclothes security agents.

Street unrest has revived despite President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's crackdown on dissent, whether Islamist or liberal, in the wake of the military's overthrow of elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013, when Sisi headed the armed forces.

(Reporting By Shadi Bushra; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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Egypt Votes In Presidential Elections
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Egyptian women prepare to cast their votes at a polling station on the second day of Egypt's presidential election in Cairo on May 27, 2014. (KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian voter puts a ballot paper in the ballot box at a polling station in the Cairo suburb of Imbaba on May 27, 2014. (Jonathan Rashad/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman shows her ink-stained fingers after casting her vote at a polling station on the second day of Egypt's presidential election in Cairo on May 27, 2014. (KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman casts her vote at a polling station in Cairo on the second day of Egypt's presidential election on May 27, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman casts her ballot at a polling station on the second day of Egypt's presidential election in Cairo on May 27, 2014. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian child plays with a ballot box at a polling station in Cairo on the second day of Egypt's presidential election on May 27, 2014. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman dips her finger in ink after casting her vote at a polling station in Cairo on the second day of Egypt's presidential election on May 27, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian soldier stands guard at a polling station in Cairo on the second day of Egypt's presidential election on May 27, 2014. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian army officer poses for a photo outside a polling station in the Cairo suburb of al-Manial on May 27, 2014. (Jonathan Rashad/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian priest casts his vote at a polling station in Cairo on the second day of Egypt's presidential election on May 27, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian man walks past army vehicles stationed outside a polling station in Cairo on May 27, 2014. (MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A poster of Egypt's ex-army chief and leading presidential candidate Abdel Fattah El-Sissi is shown next to a building in central Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Supporters of presidential candidate Abdel Fattah El-Sissi sit outside a coffee shop in the Gamaliya suburb of Cairo on May 26, 2014. (Jonathan Rashad/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptian voters hold posters of presidential candidate Abdel Fattah El-Sissi in a queue outside a polling station in the Gamaliya suburb of Cairo on May 26, 2014. (Jonathan Rashad/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptians carry a ballot box after a polling station closed at the end of the first day of the two-day election for a new president in the capital city of Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An election official closes a ballot box after a polling station closed at the end of the first day of the two-day election for a new president in the capital city of Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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A picture taken on May 26, 2014 shows a full ballot box after a polling station in Cairo closed at the end of the first day of presidential elections. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian polieman helps a women after she cast her vote at a polling station in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria on May 27, 2014. (AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptian women show their ink-stained fingers after casting their votes on May 27, 2014 in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. (AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptian women raise their national flag outside a polling station on May 27, 2014 in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. (AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman dances as she waits in line to vote at a polling station in the Ain Shams neighborhood of Cairo on May 26, 2014. (VIRGINIE NGUYEN HOANG/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptians wait in line to vote at a polling station on May 26, 2014 in Cairo. (Christena Dowsett/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Graffiti on a trash bin shows the face of Egyptian presidential candidate and ex-army chief, Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, with 'Elect the Pimp' written in Arabic in the village of Kirdassa, southeast of Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Supporters of Abdel Fattah El-Sissi celebrate after voting in Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptian men smoke in front of wall of anti-government graffiti and torn posters of presidential candidate Abdel Fatah El-Sissi, near a polling station on the outskirts of the village of Kirdassa, on May 26, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptian women gesture as they walk to a polling station on the outskirts of the village of Kirdassa, on May 26, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman looks out from a window decorated with the national flag and portraits of Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, in downtown Cairo on May 26, 2014. (KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egypt's leading presidential candidate Abdel Fattah El-Sissi greets a crowd after casting his vote at a polling station in the north Cairo district of Heliopolis on May 26, 2014. (KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptian presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi casts his vote at a polling station in Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman makes her way to a polling station in Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II casts his vote in the presidential elections at a polling station in Cairo on May 26, 2014. (AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian walks in front of a wall decorated with images of ousted president Mohammad Morsi in the village of Kirdassa, May 26, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Egyptians queue outside a polling station in Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian man displays his ink-stained finger after casting his vote outside a polling station in Cairo, May 26, 2014. (MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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An Egyptian woman stands near a list of names of voters outside a polling station in Cairo on May 26, 2014. (MAHMOUD KHALED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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