Officials deny police shot and killed 32-year-old mother and activist Shaimaa al-Sabbagh in Egyptian capital on Saturday

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Dozens of women have rallied in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, to denounce the killing of a female protester and blame the police for her death during a peaceful demonstration.

The slaying of 32-year mother and activist Shaimaa al-Sabbagh on Saturday has set off a storm of criticism against police. Officials have denied officers shot and killed her.

More than 100 women protesters gathered on Thursday, holding up pictures of Sabbagh and chanting defiantly: “Police are thugs!” and “Down with every president so long as blood is cheap!”

The protesters later dispersed peacefully and police did not intervene. Egyptian authorities have cracked down heavily on protests and banned any demonstrations without prior government approval. The crackdown follows the coup of the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013, after mass protests.