Ain Shams Law Students Join Judges, Lawyers Against Morsi Decree

The union of law students at Cairo’s Ain Shams University has called on members to stop attending classes as a means of showing solidarity with Egypt’s judges and lawyers, who have rejected a controversial constitutional decree issued on Thursday by President Mohamed Morsi.

The decree significantly expands the president’s powers and, critics say, threatens the independence of Egypt’s judiciary.

“The law students’ union has decided to suspend all academic activities for three days starting Sunday,” Ain Shams law student Mostafa Gamal told Al-Aram’s Arabic-language news website on Sunday.

“We have sent a statement to this effect to university administrators,” he added.

Ain Shams law students are demanding a clear separation between the various branches of government.

The move comes as several Egyptian judges declared their intention to go on strike to protest the president’s constitutional decree.

Ahram