Egypt’s Morsi Orders Shake-Up Of ‘Justice & Equality’ Council

The presidency on Monday ordered the reformation of Egypt’s National Council for Justice and Equality (NCJE), tasked with formulating legislation in line with the twin values.

The council was formed in November 2011 by the government of then-prime minister Essam Sharaf. It was mandated with promoting the ideals of justice and equality, disseminating a culture of citizenship and furthering the principle of equality regardless of race, religion or gender.

The council was also tasked with monitoring cases of alleged discrimination in Egypt.

The presidency’s move to reformulate the council comes in the wake of a spate of recent sectarian violence that has claimed at least eight lives since late Friday.

In a Monday statement, the presidency also called on Egyptian political forces to issue recommendations as to how the council should be drawn up and what authorities it should enjoy.

The Egyptian Ministry of Interior, meanwhile, has been instructed to apprehend and prosecute those found responsible for the recent violence.

Ahram