CAIRO - Judges' clubs across the nation, 30 youth groupsand political activists have announced Sunday their support for three judges who are being questioned by the Ministry of Justice for speaking out against the courts martial of civilians in the media. The judges and the political groups have called on Minister of Justice Mohamed Abdel-Aziz el-Guindi to resign for failing to maintain the independence of the judiciary and promote the revolution's demands. The State Cases Authority, a judicial body, and the Judges' Club issued statements condemning the referral of the three judges to investigation over their media remarks. "The three judges haven't committed a crime or made a mistake. The mistake is what Minister el-Guindi has done. Anyway, this farce should stop soon, otherwise things could get ugly," said Judge Ahmed Mekki, deputy head of Egypt's Cassation Court. He urged the judges to calm down and not to exaggerate the crisis, which "will end soon and peacefully". "The issues of the judiciary's independence is a thousand times more important than the case of the three judges. Let's focus on significant issues," stressed Mekki. The three judges, Ashraf Nada, Hassan el-Naggar and Alaa Shawqi, have criticised the military for not referring civilians to criminal courts, saying that military tribunals do not guarantee the rights provided by civilian courts. "The Justice Minister should step down. Instead of seeking full independence of the judiciary, he [the Minister] is working against the judges," read a statement signed by 30 youth groups, including the January 25 Revolution's Youth Coalition. Minister el-Guindi ordered the investigation because the trio had not obtained permission to speak to the media. The judges say they do not need such permission. "It seems we should obtain permission to get out of bed in the morning!" Judge Ashraf Nada told a private TV satellite by phone yesterday, adding that he and the other two judges were planning to file a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice over their questioning. "We are in a revolution. There are so many legal issues that need to be explained to the public. This is a temporary job for the judges. What if we were banned from speaking out?" wondered Nada. According to proceedings against the trio, their statements “threatened peace and national security” in the country, and also “insulted the military judiciary”. The Judges' Club, a body administering services for judges, has threatened to boycott elections if the three judges are harmed in any way. "The judges are a red line," says a board member of the Judges' Club, without elaborating, adding that there could be a meeting of the general assembly of the Judges' Club soon to discuss the issue.
