The assault on lawyer Raga'i Atteya was “brutal,” the Judges Club said in a statement that harshly condemned the attack.
Atteya was assaulted by citizens in a court in Abbasseya. Security forces arrested one of the suspected attackers, but Atteya did not press charges.
“Those who attacked me were a group of troublemakers,” Atteya told Al-Masry Al-Youm, denying the attack was political and dismissing it as insignificant.
"We are absolutely confident that this cowardly attack on one of the most prominent law scholars and bright Islamic thinkers will not achieve its objectives in withholding his free voice, and will not break his will or impair his determination,” The Judges Club said in a statement Friday.
Former MP Mostafa Bakry also condemned the attack. "Opponents are not safe," he said.
"Those who attacked Atteya wanted to send a message to [those with differing opinions] that they will be punished," Bakry said.
"We have turned into a jungle state where there is no security or law to protect opponents," he added.
Bakry called on the Interior Ministry to issue a statement to clarify the incident and identify the attackers.
"It is really serious, and the recurrence of such incidents pushes things toward chaos," Bakry said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
