CAIRO: A group of lawyers met Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzoury on Monday to discuss putting an end to the military trials of civilians, while others declined an invitation to the meeting. At least 12,000 civilians have been subjected to military tribunals since the uprising in January. “We suggested a committee of independent lawyers to look into the cases of civilians sentenced by military courts in order to refer them to civilians court,” Hafez Abou Saeda, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), told Daily News Egypt. El-Ganzoury assured lawyers that he would look into the issue and discuss it with the ruling military council, Abou Saeda said, arguing that civilians living under military rule are legally subject to military trials. “But we've seen that they are activists, bloggers and ordinary people, not thugs, which is why they shouldn't be sentenced by the military courts. This is why we are tackling this issue with [the government],” he added. Yet, the meeting stirred controversy regarding who the lawyers represent. “I was supposed to go and talk about the military trials along with others, but then I learned that the meeting's agenda will include Cabinet sit-in, in which I will be quoted as a representative of the protesters. And this is not true," said Ahmed Ragheb, director of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center. According to Abou Saeda, the delegation that attended the meeting was chosen by a number of revolutionary movements that asked the lawyers to represent them. Ragheb said that he spoke to protesters camped outside the Cabinet headquarters who denied that they delegated anyone to speak on their behalf. "If people who meet the PM promise to end the sit-in, it would mean that the protesters are thugs, which then would give the government the right to disperse them by force,” Ragheb said. “This is a crime that I do not want to be part of it." Protesters camped outside the Cabinet headquarters stressed that their sit-in will continue until a national salvation government is formed or the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) hands over power to civilians. This was in response to reports that representatives of the protesters had met with the premier, promising to end the sit-in. Protesters interviewed insisted that they hadn't delegated anyone to speak on their behalf. Protesters interviewed by DNE on Monday said they do not acknowledge the legitimacy of the recently appointed Cabinet and therefore cannot negotiate with its ministers. Those who met El-Ganzoury only represent themselves, protesters stressed. “What about the rights of martyrs who died on Mohamed Mahmoud Street? We watch the videos every night here and we see how they fell,” said Mohamed Badran, explaining why he refused to end the sit-in which he joined 14 days ago. Abou Saeda said that he was unaware of the identity of the youth delegation that met El-Ganzoury, but he stressed that despite the fact that protesting is a right for every citizen, blocking the road and preventing ministers from getting into their offices is an irresponsible act. Meanwhile, a number of employees at the nearby People's Assembly building demonstrated in front of Gate No. 4 to demand permanent contracts. They blocked entrance to and exit from the building for an hour. Military officers convinced them to go back to their offices. As the employees protested, the protesters on the other side of the street chanted against the SCAF.
