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Egypt Islamists, rivals clash over judiciary overhaul
Two people were on Friday hurt in central Cairo after protesters marched on thousands of Islamists who had rallied outside the Supreme Court demanding judicial reform.
Cairo: Two people were on Friday hurt in central Cairo after protesters marched on thousands of Islamists who had rallied outside the Supreme Court demanding judicial reform.
The two sides pelted each other with stones and Molotov cocktails and gunfire was heard, an AFP journalist said.
They were demanding an overhaul of the judiciary, after a court challenged a decision by Islamist President Mohammed Mursi to sack the veteran state prosecutor.
Mursi`s Muslim Brotherhood had called the demonstration outside the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly challenged the president since he took office last June.
"The people demand the cleaning up of the judiciary," the protesters chanted. Last month, a court overturned a controversial decree by Mursi to sack state prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmud, appointed by ousted president Hosni Mubarak, and replace him with Talaat Abdallah.
The court believed Mursi had overstepped his powers when he sacked Mahmud, blamed for bungling the trials of former regime officials, including Mubarak himself, after the 2011 uprising.
Many judges are Mubarak-era appointees, and Mursi supporters claim they remain hostile to them despite subsequent election victories.
A court also overturned Mursi`s call for parliamentary polls this month, ruling that he had ratified a new electoral law without consulting the constitutional court. AFP
They were demanding an overhaul of the judiciary, after a court challenged a decision by Islamist President Mohammed Mursi to sack the veteran state prosecutor.
Mursi`s Muslim Brotherhood had called the demonstration outside the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly challenged the president since he took office last June.
"The people demand the cleaning up of the judiciary," the protesters chanted. Last month, a court overturned a controversial decree by Mursi to sack state prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmud, appointed by ousted president Hosni Mubarak, and replace him with Talaat Abdallah.
The court believed Mursi had overstepped his powers when he sacked Mahmud, blamed for bungling the trials of former regime officials, including Mubarak himself, after the 2011 uprising.
Many judges are Mubarak-era appointees, and Mursi supporters claim they remain hostile to them despite subsequent election victories.
A court also overturned Mursi`s call for parliamentary polls this month, ruling that he had ratified a new electoral law without consulting the constitutional court. AFP