An adviser to President Mohamed Morsy said Monday that Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud is responsible for the exoneration of defendants accused of murdering protesters during the 25 January revolution.
Essam al-Erian, chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, expressed in a Twitter post his disappointment with the recent acquittals of police officers accused of killing pro-democracy protesters during the revolution.
Erian said the consecutive acquittals highlight a failure in collecting the evidence needed for conviction.
“That is the public prosecutor’s responsibility,” he said.
Calls for Mahmoud’s dismissal have been abundant following the revolution, especially after the June acquittal of former President Hosni Mubarak’s security leaders on charges of killing protesters.
Several police officers from various police stations nationwide have been declared innocent on similar charges — a trend that has sparked fury among activists and victims’ families.
A judicial authority reform draft law suggests that the public prosecutor be appointed through the Supreme Judicial Council, as opposed to being appointed by the president, which has left the post under a legacy of executive control.
