Saturday, February 25, 2006

Egypt | Judicial stand-off

Al-Ahram Weekly Egypt Judicial stand-off: "In what is being viewed as an attempt to intimidate judges and impede judicial reform, the state-appointed Supreme Judiciary Council last week stripped four senior judges of immunity. Mahmoud El-Khodeiri, Hesham Bastaweisi, Mahmoud Mekki and Ahmed Mekki are all deputies of the Court of Cassation and have been leading the struggle for greater judicial independence. The four have been pressing for the endorsement of a draft law prepared in the early 90s that separates the judiciary from the executive authority as represented by the Justice Ministry.
They have repeatedly called for the state-appointed Judiciary Council to be replaced by an elected body, arguing that as things stand the council represents the will of the state and not that of the judges. "

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