Sameh Ashour, head of the Lawyer’s Syndicate, said Tuesday that Suez lawyers will remain on strike awaiting a “radical solution” to solve the crisis between lawyers and police officers, following the assault on a group of lawyers by police in Suez on Saturday.
Ashour made the comments during a press conference at the syndicate’s headquarters in Cairo.
He announced that he will meet with Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim this week “in order to seek a permanent and radical solution for the problem”.
Hassan Seilman, Ashour’s office manager, said that the syndicate’s Supreme Committee is expected to also meet Thursday to discuss the crisis and to prepare a report on “police violations”.
“Currently, the purpose of the escalation is not only to solve the problem of police brutality against lawyers, but also against civilians in general,” Seilman said.
Ashour emphasised that the ongoing dispute between the lawyers and the police officers is not personal and not concerned with vendetta, but concerned with the way security forces treat lawyers.
Lawyers launched a strike on Sunday in a Suez courthouse in response to the assault on the lawyers.
Although one police officer was suspended from his duties, and another two were transferred, lawyers will continue the strike until the prosecution issues a ruling on the matter.
The South Cairo Lawyers’ Syndicate condemned the attacks on Sunday, describing them as the strategy of a “police state, where the rights of lawyers are violated”.
