Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and oppositional forces are planning the protest rallies on Friday

Egypt's Islamists rally

Egypt’s main Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood called for the mass rallies to be held on Friday, 19 April, with the main aim to “purge” the state’s judiciary.

Several Islamist parties and groups announced they will participate in Friday’s rallies including Muslim Brotherhood, Salafist Al-Asala Party, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail’s Al-Raya Party, The People’s Party, Al-Watan Party and others. Salafist Al-Nour party in its turn declared their members will not participate in a planned rally fearing the possible clashes, violence and vandalism.

The protests are expected to be held in downtown Cairo, in front of the building of Egypt’s High Court and also on all the main squares in the country nationwide.

Islamist groups expressed three main demands to be voiced during Friday’s demonstrations. They include the purging of the country’s judiciary system in order to “clean” it from the corrupt elements; bringing to justice and putting on trial all those responsible for the killings of the peaceful protesters during January 25 Revolution; and recovery of Egypt’s stolen funds. The rallies will also call for the Shura Council (Upper House of Egypt’s Parliament) to pass the new judicial law which includes some significant changes.

Egypt’s oppositional forces in their turn condemned the move of Egypt’s Islamists accusing them of trying to replace the members of the courts with those loyal to Muslim Brotherhood and trying to reduce the independence of the state’s judiciary.

Several political parties and groups have announced they will hold the protests against this move of the Islamist’s parties on Friday, 19 April, on Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Those groups and parties include National Association for Change, Revolution Youth Union, Egyptian Communist Party, Youth for Justice and Freedom Movement and others.

Oppositional demonstration will include also the protests against the release of Egypt’s ex-President Hosni Mubarak in the case of failing to prevent the killings of the peaceful demonstrators during the Revolution. The key demands of the opposition’s rallies remain the release of the political prisoners and dismissal of Egypt’s prosecutor general Talaat Abdullah, who was appointed by Mohamed Morsy.

Meanwhile Egypt’s Justice Ministry has also condemned the call of Muslim Brotherhood for the Friday’s demonstrations accusing them of trying to limit the independence of the judiciary and pressuring the judges.