Egypt renames deadly protest site after murdered prosecutor

Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's cabinet decided Wednesday to rename a Cairo square where police killed hundreds of Islamist protesters in 2013 after the country's top prosecutor, who was assassinated last month.

Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square is to be called Hisham Barakat Square in honour of the prosecutor, who died in a June 29 car bombing, a government statement said.

On August 14, 2013 security forces stormed two sit-ins of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Rabaa al-Adawiya and in Nahda Square, also in Cairo, resulting in what HRW termed "one of the largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history" of Egypt.

At least 817 demonstrators died in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square alone, it said.

The interior ministry said at least 10 policemen were killed during the dispersal after coming under fire from protesters.

Morsi was ousted by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Since his overthrow, more than 1,400 people have been killed in a police crackdown, including those who died in Rabaa al-Adawiya.

Thousands more have been imprisoned, and hundreds sentenced to death.

Barakat's killing has not been claimed by anyone, but jihadists have stepped up attacks against security forces and called for attacks on judges and prosecutors in retaliation for the crackdown.