A surprising ruling in Egypt

Global Military Justice Reform is more than willing to kvetch when the circumstances warrant -- which is all too often. Now for a pleasant surprise from Egypt. The Constitutional Court ruled today the protest cases must be tried in civilian rather than military courts. Here is an excerpt from this account:

Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court ruled on Saturday that protest-related cases fall under the jurisdiction of the regular judiciary, not military courts.

The court’s ruling was in response to six cases submitted by the State Lawsuits Authority to determine which judicial authority should review cases involving illegal protest and obstructing roads in Upper Egypt's Beni Suef.

The Beni Suef cases were the subject of a judicial dispute between the regular criminal court and the military court in the governorate.

The Constitutional Court said in its reasoning that the defendants were to be tried in regular court given that they are not members of the Armed Forces and their crimes did not involve public institutions or properties.