Jama’a al-Islamiya, the Salafi Front along with other Islamist coalitions on Tuesday staged protests outside Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud’s office demanding his dismissal or resignation.
“This is the start of a series of protests until he leaves,” said Ali Abul Nasr, secretary of the group’s Construction and Development Party. “It is one of the revolution's demands.”
The group announced on 16 October that it would try to persuade Mahmoud to resign, or request that the president decree a four year limit for the public prosecutor’s term.
A dispute between Mahmoud and President Mohamed Morsy erupted earlier this month after the acquittal of defendants in the Battle of the Camel trial, which was attributed by the prosecutor to lack of evidence. Morsy fired Mahmoud, who refused to step down, and within days they reached an agreement allowing Mahmoud to stay in office.
Calls for Mahmoud’s removal began earlier this year after former Interior Ministry Habib al-Adly’s aides and other police commanders were acquitted of killing protesters during the 25 January revolution.
A number of political parties and movements including the Tagammu Party, the Free Egyptians Party and the Egypt National Party denounced the protest as an infringement on the judiciary and an attempt by Islamists to seize more power.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, they demanded that the president and Interior Ministry put an end to violations against the judiciary.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
