CAIRO — On April 27, thousands of riot police broke up a protest outside the high court in defence of two judges who were facing disciplinary hearings. The pro-reform judges — Hisham Bastawisi and Mahmoud Mekki — exposed fraud in last year’s parliamentary elections. Among those beaten by the police was chief judge of the North Cairo Court Mahmoud Mohamed Abdel Latif Hamza. Up to 50 protesters were arrested and many charged with disturbing the peace. Journalists covering the protests were also attacked. According to the April 28 Los Angeles Times, Bastawisi said after the hearing: “Our case is not important, what is important is ... the right of the Egyptian people to have an independent judiciary, democracy and free elections”. The hearing will reconvene on May 11.

From Green Left Weekly, May 3, 2006.
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