CAIRO: Over 300 specialists from the Ministry of Justice continued their sit-in for the fourth consecutive day in front of the ministry, demanding legal protection and better work conditions.
Protestors namely called for an amendment to Law 96 for year 1952.
“It is unacceptable to work under the same law for 57 years despite the developments that occurred inside and outside Egypt. The current law is incapable of solving our problems, Eid El-Desouky, a specialist from Daqahleya, told Daily News Egypt.
According to a statement issued by the protestors, there have been many attempts to change the current law, most recently in 1995 when a group of legal experts proposed a draft law that was approved by the Shoura Council. However, it was never discussed at the People’s Assembly.
The proposed law included terms that provide specialists with legal protection when dealing with cases involving “conflicting parties with power.
“We are calling on President Mubarak to intervene by issuing a new law – or modifying the current one – to address the sensitive nature of our work, which involves direct contact with conflicting parties in [legal] disputes, El-Desouky said.
According to their area of expertise, specialists’ are consulted on technical aspects in civil and commercial cases, and their feedback is essential in reaching a final verdict.
Protestors are also calling for the cancellation of a decision issued last June that only allows them to examine cas files inside the courtroom. The decision was never implemented, according to specialists, because they opposed it.
They want to be allowed to study case files more than once in order to issue a fair decision.
Protestors are also demanding better work conditions and pay.
“We have always asked for our financial situation to be reevaluated so that we receive stable salaries instead of being paid by the number of cases we work on per month, Eid said.
“We are required to handle 11 cases per month, nine of which are civil cases and the other two are criminal cases. It takes a lot of time to prepare, research and work on such cases, he explained.
Eid also suggested that the evaluation of the specialists be every three to six months.
They also asked for health insurance since they are constantly under pressure due to the nature of their jobs, which “weakens our physical and psychological health.
Representatives of 3,000 specialists employed by the Ministry of Justice are taking shifts participating in a sit-in that started on Monday in front of the ministry.
However, the ministry is yet to respond to their demands.
Minister of Justice Mamdouh Marei refused to meet a delegation from the protesters to discuss their demands, according to Walid Badawy, spokesperson of the group.
“Although we met with the minister in March and he promised prompt and fair decisions, no actions were taken until this day, Badawy told Daily News Egypt.
Specialists had staged protests in May and June in front of the Cabinet.
Badawy said that the sit-ins will continue until their demands are met.
Officials at the Ministry of Justice weren’t available for comment by press time. -Additional reporting by Mustafa Al Sawy
