Dozens of lawyers protested in front of the Lawyers Syndicate in Cairo to condemn the decision to lift a travel ban on defendants in the foreign-funded NGOs case.
After months of pressure from Washington, 15 American defendants flew out of Cairo airport on Thursday after posting bail, sparking outrage in Egypt. The NGO workers are accused of operating in Egypt without licences and illegally receiving foreign funding.
The lawyers accused security officials of colluding with Egypt's military rulers to serve US interests, describing the decision to lift the travel ban as "a shady deal."
The protesters chanted, "The people want the judiciary purged of corruption," "The people want the attorney general removed" and "Shame on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces!"
Meanwhile, board of the Judges Club, led by Ahmed al-Zend, called on the Supreme Judicial Council to immediately investigate why the judge reviewing the NGOs case resigned two days into the trial and why the travel ban was lifted.
They also called for the results of the investigation to be revealed to the people.
A fresh trial of 43 NGO workers will take place in a Cairo criminal court on March 8, state news agency MENA reported Saturday.
