Egypt sentences 4 men to 3 years in prison over dog killing
An Egyptian court on Wednesday convicted four men over the grisly killing of a dog whose torture was captured on video, sentencing them to three years in prison.
The video, which triggered an uproar on social media, shows the dog named Max tied up on a busy Cairo street while a group of men set upon him with knives, machetes and clubs. A small crowd stood by and watched.
The convicted men include the dog's owner, Mohammed Sayed, who handed him over to be killed to settle a long-running dispute with neighbors who claim they had been bitten by Max. The neighbors said Sayed had used Max, a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, to stage armed robberies in the crowded Cairo district of Shoubrah el-Kheimah.
Sayed is a fugitive. He was tried in absentia and convicted of animal cruelty.
The other defendants were arrested about two weeks ago, several days after the dog was killed. They were convicted of cruelty to animals, weapons possession and disturbing the peace. The ruling can be appealed.
