The Cairo Appeals Court forced into retirement 41 Egyptian judges on Saturday, for allegedly supporting former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Out of the 70 judges involved in the case, 41 were dismissed. Fifty-five of the judges were charged with signing a statement of support for former president Mohamed Morsi and the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, in protest over the military takeover on 3 July 2013. Another 15 were charged with belonging to a group called "Judges for Egypt". Five days after the military-lead ouster of Morsi, three members of the group read a statement in Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square. They argued that "what happened on 3 July [2013] is a military coup and we demand that the Egyptian people support the constitutional legitimacy". Egypt has outlawed both the Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party. The law to regulate the judicial authorities stipulates that any judge who is referred to a disciplinary committee must stand trial, with the possibility of suspension from judicial duties. Many members of the outlawed group have been sacked from various syndicates, charity groups, and mosques, and had their assets frozen. Currently, belonging to the group or indicating support to it is considered a crime.
