Protests against President Mursi continue in Cairo
(Vatican Radio) Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has triggered controversy by issuing
a decree likely to lead to retrials of Hosni Mubarak and his aides but which was compared
to the ousted leader's autocratic ways.
As President Mursi issued his decree
thousands of demonstrators gathered in downtown Cairo for the fourth day to protest
against his policies. The declaration states that the president's decisions cannot
be repealed by any authority, including the courts. His allies say the decree
is meant to protect Egypt's revolution but the country’s opposition denounced it as
"a coup against legitimacy" and called for mass protests to be held on Friday. Responding
to the announcement, Sameh Ashour, Head of the Lawyers’ Syndicate, called for the
proclamation to be annulled: “We ask for the following: bring down the constitutional
proclamation and dissolve the constituent assembly, because it has lost its legitimacy,”
said Ashour. “We call for a national dialogue,” he continued, “to agree on a new
mechanism to bring together all the forces and other factions in the country to stop
[the] Islamic wing from taking over.” Included in the decree is an order for retrials
which appeared aimed at launching a new prosecution of former President Hosni Mubarak.
President
Mursi has also granted immunity for the panel drafting a new constitution from any
possible court decisions to dissolve it.
The constitution is a crucial element
in Egypt's transition to democracy.
New parliamentary elections will not be
held until the document is completed and passed by a popular referendum.