Egypt drops charges against 379 over deadly clashes

An Egyptian court on Saturday dropped charges against 379 people involved in clashes against the police in 2011, following a decree by President Mohamed Morsi granting them amnesty, the official MENA news agency said. The 379 had been accused of injuring policemen during November 2011 clashes on Mohammed Mahmoud street, near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, that left dozens dead. Several rounds of violent protests broke out in the months following the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak against the country's military rulers. In October, Morsi decided to grant an amnesty to those arrested "while supporting the revolution and implementing its objectives" from the onset of the uprising on January 25, 2011 and until June 2012 when he was elected president. The amnesty also includes those already convicted by courts and those currently facing trial, according to the decree.