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Egyptian protesters hit by tear gas after throwing stones at police

From Ian Lee, For CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • About 200 people protest Friday in downtown Cairo
  • They are upset over the arrest and death of a city bus driver
  • The protesters throw stones, and the police respond with tear gas
  • During the revolution, police were a prime target of protesters' anger

Cairo (CNN) -- Scores of protesters angry at the death of a Cairo bus driver hit the Egyptian capital's streets Friday, throwing stones at police and receiving tear gas in response.

About 200 people attended the demonstration near the city's main train station on Friday. They voiced resentment over the arrest a day earlier of a bus driver after he had an altercation with a police officer. The driver died while in custody.

On Friday, protesters threw rocks at the Cairo police officers. The law enforcement authorities, in turn, fired tear gas on the crowd.

There were no immediate reports on whether there were any injuries or fatalities related to the confrontation, be they police or protesters.

Cairo's police force -- criticized for being too heavy-handed, unfair and corrupt -- was a prime focus of demonstrators' wrath during the revolution earlier this year that culminated in the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak. While the military was largely on the sidelines, protesters confronted police officers, who were allegedly told by Mubarak to fire into crowds.

Since Mubarak's exit, there have been major changes in the nation's police structure, as well as prosecutions of those once aligned with it. Former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly, for instance, got a 12-year prison sentence this month for corruption and faces a separate trial for his alleged role in ordering the killings of protesters. And an Egyptian police officer accused of killing 20 protesters during a January 28 demonstration was given a death sentence Monday.

Still, even with the changeover of government, some Egyptians have continued protesting to demand better pay and working conditions.