Egypt court acquits police officers of torturing and murdering prominent lawyer News
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Egypt court acquits police officers of torturing and murdering prominent lawyer

An Egyptian high court acquitted two police officers on Sunday who were accused of torturing and killing a prominent lawyer, Karim Hamdi, while he was in custody.

Hamdi was arrested [AP report] on suspicion of being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group recognized as a terrorist organization in Egypt. In recent years, the Egyptian government has convicted and sentenced Muslim Brotherhood figures [JURIST report] in a crackdown of its members that once held political prominence in the country.

Egypt has also been criticized by human rights groups [JURIST report] for its treatment of prisoners in recent years pointing to possible political motivations for the imprisonment and subsequent abuse of convicted individuals.

THIS DAY @ LAW

First US execution by gas

On February 8, 1924, Gee Jon, a Chinese man convicted of murder, was executed by gas in Nevada and became the first person in the United States to be put to death in that manner.

The Nevada state legislature had eliminated hanging and shooting as a method of execution in 1921, and had provided for execution by lethal gas instead. Nevada sent 32 convicts to the gas chamber between 1924 and 1979. Learn more about the history of executions by gas in Nevada.

Mary, Queen of Scots executed

On February 8, 1587, Mary I of Scotland was executed for involvement in a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England. Before execution, Mary denied three times assisting the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, and crown Mary as ruler of Great Britain. Mary's guilt or innocence is debated to this day. Learn more about the Babington Plot.