Egypt's most senior judge has warned against attempts to undermine judicial authority and plunge Egypt into chaos in light of the state of discontent and the ensuing attack on the judiciary following a court ruling against toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
The chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council and president of the Court of Cassation Hossam al-Gheriany said the debates around the verdict have begun before its details are announced.
On Saturday, a Cairo criminal court sentenced former President Mubarak and his Interior Minister Habib al-Adly to 25 years in prison for complicity in the murder of pro-democracy protesters during the January 2011 uprising which forced Mubarak to step down. The court also exonerated six former security officials on the same charges, and acquitted Mubarak, his two sons, and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem on financial corruption charges.
The ruling sparked massive protests demanding a retrial and lambasting the judicial system.
In a statement issued following a council meeting on Tuesday, quoted by state TV, Gheriany said judicial authorities have been subjected to lots of insults following the verdict, adding that the attack on the judiciary has not abated despite the decision by the Public Prosecutor to appeal the sentence.
He stressed that the slander campaign reflects a desire to maintain a state of chaos and undermine the judicial authority which, he said, managed to rebuild the legislative and executive authorities through democratic elections.
Gheriany called upon citizens and media outlets to avoid questioning legal verdicts, and to give the judiciary credit for fulfilling its duties.
