CAIRO: The Ministry of Justice issued a statement rejecting protesting legal specialists' demands as their sit-in entered its 15th day Monday. Legal specialists have been protesting in front of the ministry, demanding legal protection and better work conditions. They had also called for an amendment to Law 96/1952 as well as the cancellation of a decision that allows them to examine cases only inside the courtroom. Following Sunday's mass protest that drew over 2,000 legal specialists, the ministry issued a statement indicating that the specialists are also legally obliged to review cases inside the courtroom, since the article stipulates that the legal documents of any case should not be sent to the specialist's office, but that they should only receive a copy. "Why are they insisting on receiving the original copy of the documents? Hassan Abdel Razek, the minister s assistant for legal specialists and forensic affairs said in a statement. Regarding better pay, the statement claimed that "20 percent of legal cases are still waiting on the shelves, adding that protestors should link the raises with their achievements and how fast that can wrap up a case. According to the statement, the protestors unjustifiably demanded a 500 percent increase in their incentives, a monthly health care allowance of LE 1,000, and a 300 percent increase in the morning shift incentive. The statement added that the new draft law prepared by the specialists is now being discussed at the legislation department before being presented to the parliament at its next session. Protesting legal specialists rejected the ministry's claims and responded with a statement of their own, saying "the ministry is spreading lies to mislead public opinion. The statement contested the ministry s decision to appoint a specialist in each court saying that it violates legal articles that stipulate that a specialist's office should be near the court not inside it. "Under the ministry's new decisions, specialists will be without supervision in the absence of an administrative hierarchy that monitors their work because they will be appointed and affiliated to the court rather than the ministry, the statement read, adding that this will open the door for manipulation and misconduct. In their statement, legal specialists reiterate that they are only asking for a 300 percent increase linked to achievement or at least "half the income the ministry alleged, which is LE 7,000. Protestors are planning another mass demonstration next Sunday in front of the ministry, where they will be joined by lawyers, threatening to escalate matters should the ministry continue to ignore their demands. "We have reached the point of no return and we will continue our sit-in until the ministry responds to our demands, said Mahmoud Ismail, a specialist from Ismailia. "Although we are literally living on the street, we are in a very good psychological state because we are persistent, he added. Essam Abdel Hamid, a specialist from Luxor who has been participating in the sit-in for 12 days, said that if the situation remains the same, clashes will erupt in rural areas, especially in Upper Egypt, because no one will be there to handle their cases. "They accuse us of putting off work although it isn't in our interest since we are paid according to finalized cases, said Walid El-Touny, a specialist from Minya, "instead of helping us they put hurdles in our way with these new laws. Yasser Aziz, a legal specialist from Cairo, said it is impractical to examine documents inside the courtroom because some cases have documents that "may pile up to one meter high.
