CAIRO: Protests escalated in front of the Ministry of Justice Sunday after one of the protesting legal specialists died of a heart attack the day before. Wahid Desouky Emam, vice assistant of Damietta's legal specialists' office, returned home Saturday from the sit-in and passed away shortly after, according to Walid Badawy, spokesman for the protesting specialists. Another protestor, Hussein El-Sherbini, was hospitalized after he fainted during Sunday's protest, which drew over 2,000 legal specialists. No further details were given about his condition. As the legal specialists' protest entered its 14th day, protestors decided to suspend the achievement chart - through which they keep track of finalized cases - and to send a delegation to the presidential office. "We are calling for President Mubarak to intervene, Badawy told Daily News Egypt. Legal specialists have been holding sit-ins in front of the justice ministry, demanding legal protection and better work conditions. They had previously called for an amendment to Law 96/1952 to give themselves legal protection, as well as the cancellation of a decision allowing them to examine cases only inside the courtroom. Badawy said the ministry has yet to respond to their demands, and claimed that it is spreading "unfounded lies about our qualifications and salaries. When protests first broke out, Minister of Justice Mamdouh Marei had said in press statements that the legal specialists hold mediocre qualifications, while specialists argue that they are university graduates, with some holding Masters and PhD degrees. The protestors made a statement Saturday, calling for the issuance of a legal specialists' authority law to give them legal protection, outline new financial bylaws and develop a health care plan for them and their families after retirement. The statement added that the aforementioned privileges are enjoyed by state judges and the administrative prosecution. The ministry's judicial inspection department ordered courts nationwide to refer cases to legal specialists at preliminary courts rather than to the legal specialists department, Al-Shorouk daily independent newspaper reported. Meanwhile, in Damietta, some legal specialists put some cases on hold until later sessions in solidarity with the protestors. An attempt by a National Democratic Party MP to resolve the conflict between the ministry and the protesting legal specialists fell through when the ministry failed to send representatives to a meeting initiated by the MP.
