The Freedom and Justice Party said that while judiciary independence is necessary, reforming the judiciary is amongst the most important demands of the revolution.
The party released several short statements on its Facebook page on Sunday, to the effect that some individuals in judicial institutions were not far from the corrupt policies of former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. It added that some court rulings were based on political, rather than legal considerations. Yet, it affirmed that under the “tyrannical regime,” there were also court rulings in favour of the rights and freedoms of the people.
Heba Yassin, media coordinator of the Popular Current said “the president praised the judiciary… why is there a vicious attack on the judiciary?”
During a speech on Saturday, Morsy said that he has confidence in the judiciary and commended its role in neutrally observing elections and referendums.
“We wanted the prosecutor general to go, but we disagreed with the mechanism,” Yassin said. She suggested that the prosecutor general should have been dismissed by the Supreme Judicial Council, not the president.
Moreover, Yassin rejected the “besieging” of the Supreme Constitutional Court.
Pro-Morsy crowds surrounded the court on Saturday night and Sunday morning. As a result of the crowds, judges at the court suspended their hearings. The FJP has condemned the disruption of the court or any state institution, as well as violent expression.
Amr Farouk, spokesperson of Al-Wasat Party said that while he does not agree with surrounding the court, he suggests that those involved did it out of concern for the stability of the country.
Farouk said that people are afraid for the remaining elected institutions, the Shura Council and Constituent Assembly, after the People’s Assembly was disbanded. Although President Mohamed Morsy’s constitutional declaration protected these institutions from dissolution, the SCC judges were set to decide their fate on Sunday.
Farouk feels that the SCC should not be operating under a “constitutional vacuum. There has to be political harmony.” He said that the court should operate normally when the constitution is passed. The constitutional draft was handed to Morsy on Saturday, after which he announced 15 December as the date for a constitutional referendum.
Yassin feels that the independence of the judiciary is “limited” in the proposed constitution.
For over a week there have been polarised demonstrations throughout the country, after Morsy announced a constitutional declaration that dismissed the prosecutor general and enhanced presidential power.
The constitutional draft finalised last week has also had its share of criticism. If the draft is passed, the constitutional declaration will expire.
