Egypt's Prime Minister said Saturday he has ordered the sacking of all police officers accused of killing protesters during the uprising, as part of a series of measures aimed at placating demonstrators. Essam Sharaf said he “issued direct orders to the interior minister to stop all police officers accused of killing protesters from working,” in an address broadcast on state television. Sharaf was speaking as thousands of people protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square to push for political change, a day after mass nationwide rallies denounced the country's military rulers. Among the key demands raised at Friday's protests were an end to military trials of civilians, the dismissal and prosecution of police officers accused of killing protesters, and speedy and transparent trials for former regime officials. Sharaf vowed to meet the demands of the protesters, promising swift trials of Mubarak regime officials. He “ordered the the creation of a panel to review the trials (of those accused of) killing protesters and corruption as soon as possible,” without waiting until after the judicial summer recess. “The public prosecutor will appeal all rulings acquitting people in those cases,” Sharaf said. He said he would also create “a mechanism for dialogue with all the political forces.” Protesters who first took to the streets to topple former president Hosni Mubarak have recently directed their anger at the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took power when the veteran strongman was ousted in February. The Jan. 25 uprising left 846 people dead and more than 6,000 injured. In another development, the prosecutor in Egypt's second city Alexandria ordered the arrest of 12 police officers accused of torturing to death a suspect in a deadly New Year's church attack, a judicial official said. Adel Emara ordered the arrest of the officers, who allegedly killed Sayed Belal, who was arrested a week after a bombing attack that killed more than 20 people. Belal's bruised body was handed to his family the day after he was arrested, rights groups said at the time. The attack, which took place three weeks before the outbreak of a popular uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak, was blamed on the Palestinian Army of Islam, which has links to Al-Qaeda. – Agencies Around 40 people were arrested in connection with the bombing, but no one has been brought to trial, and the suspects are thought to have escaped from prison during the chaotic times surrounding the uprising, a security official said. __
