CAIRO - Courts are places where people should behave respectfully, while the judges who preside there have the authority to impose discipline. However, more and more crimes are being committed in the courts, under the eyes of security men and members of the judiciary. At Zananiri Family Court in Shubra, northern Cairo, a painter gave his wife a nasty beating because she refused to drop the lawsuit for divorce she'd filed against him. Unsurprisingly, she wanted a divorce because he'd been abusing her. Meanwhile, at Shubra el-Kheima Court of Appeal in el-Qaliubia Governorate, a widow stabbed one of the criminals standing trial for murdering her husband, much to the shock of all assembled. The injured party was taken to hospital, while the widow has been arrested. Assistant Minister of Justice Osama Attawia told Horryati local magazine that the Ministry has started boosting security in courts, adding that people with no business in the courts will no longer be allowed in. This includes street vendors. A senior judge suggests that everyone entering a court should have to pass through an electronic gate, similar to what happens at hotels. The head of the Criminal Court, Nasr Fareed, says that securing courts is the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior, adding that courts in every country should be provided with a security system. Professor of sociology at the National Centre for Sociological and Criminological Research Maha el-Kurdi says that the increase in violent incidents in courts reflects the increase in violence generally. Furthermore, the media have contributed to the problem by dwelling excessively on crime, making people more blasé about the whole thing, according to psychologists. Professor of psychology at Ain Shams University Mohamed Abdel-Zaher says that violence is escalating globally. “It has become the only means to solve many problems. Years ago, serious crimes only happened in remote areas of Egypt; now it happens everywhere,” he comments.
