Cairo Criminal Court, headed by Judge Mohamed Nagy Shehata, decided to file a claim against activist Ahmed Douma accusing him of defamation of the court and libel.
"I do not trust the fairness of the trial, and I ask the court to issue a ruling on the spot, because there is no compelling reason for the continuation of sessions," Douma said in Tuesday's session where he defended himself.
Douma and others are being tried over clashes that occurred at the Cabinet headquarters in 2011. The defendants have been accused of assembling without government permission, possessing knives and Molotov cocktails, assaulting armed forces and police personnel, burning the Intsitut d'Egypte, attacking government buildings (including the headquarters of the Cabinet and parliamentary buildings) and attempting to storm and burn the Interior Ministry.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
