By Tamim Elyan
CAIRO: The Egyptian Supreme Judiciary Council decided Tuesday to move the trials of former regime figures and officers accused of killing of protesters to larger courts to allow for more public attendance, as well as air the trials live outside the courthouse.
It was not immediately clear whether court sessions would also be broadcast on public channels.
The council, headed by recently-appointed Judge Hossam Al-Gheriyani, also decided to ban judges and members of the general prosecution from giving media statements or appearing on television.
The council further decided to dedicate certain judicial constituencies to cases of corruption and the killing of protestors to allow for consecutive hearings to speed up the process, also demanding that judges issue each ruling accompanied by its reasoning summary.
Protesters nationwide have escalated demands for the swift trials of ousted regime figures and police officers accused of killing protestors as well as the cleansing of the judiciary from the “remnants” of the old regime.
In one court hearing last month, some families and friends of the more than 840 people who died in the uprising were not allowed into the courtroom because of the number of lawyers, activists and journalists there.
Scuffles broke out between security staff and those prevented from entering.
The Council also urged the Egyptian people to protect the courts and judges so that the trials would take place in a fair atmosphere. –Additional reporting by Reuters
