Egyptian, 13, dies after week in police custody

CAIRO, Aug 12 (Reuters) A 13-year-old Egyptian boy died in the Nile Delta town of Mansoura today, three days after he emerged from police custody with signs that he had suffered severe beatings, prosecution sources said.

The boy, Mohamed Mamdouh Abdel Aziz, was detained about 10 days ago with his elder brother on suspicion that they had stolen from a grocery store, they said.

On Thursday police told his family to come and take the boy from the main police station but when they saw him they took him straight to hospital, where he died, they said.

The case was the latest in a series in which Egyptian police allegedly abused people in custody. Human rights groups say torture in custody is standard practice in criminal investigations, though the government denies it.

A group of policemen is under investigation in the case of a man they said jumped off a balcony in Cairo last week. Another group in a remote western oasis allegedly poured flammable liquids on the bodies of suspects and set fire to them.

REUTERS PD BST2213