Lawyers in North Sinai have criticized the Justice Ministry for moving the courts to Ismailia after three judges were killed by terrorist groups while they were on their way to Arish Court.
Hamdi Tolson, chairman of the Lawyers Syndicate’s North Sinai branch, said the lawyers cannot travel to Ismailia each time they attend a court session. “It costs them time and money,” he said, adding that IEDs explode near courts in Cairo and other governorates but the ministry did not move them.
“Clients are assigning lawyers from Ismailia to defend them so as to save expenses,” he said.
Syndicate member Rashed al-Guindi said the decision has put lawyers out of business. “Some of them are no longer able to pay school tuitions for their children,” he said. “It is an unconstitutional decision to move the courts 250 km away.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
