Fears are rising in Egypt over the Egyptian president appointment of top judges for the first time in the country’s modern history, criticism of the judiciary’s lack of independence is rampant.

The heads of two top judicial bodies were sworn in by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday, the first in a series of anticipated appointments following the constitutional amendments passed in April that revised articles related to the judiciary and granted the president greater powers over the selection process.

On June 6, Parliament approved two laws that regulate how the heads of Egypt’s top judicial bodies are selected, granting the president greater powers over the appointment process. The laws were approved by a two-thirds majority.

The National Elections Authority (NEA) announced on Tuesday that the referendum on a set of major constitutional amendments, which allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to remain in office until 2030, passed by 88.8 percent with a 44.3 percent turnout.

The State Security Emergency Court in Aswan on Sunday handed 25 Nubians conditional fines of up to EGP 50,000 over charges for organizing illegal protests in 2017, and acquitted seven Nubians, Al Masry Al Youm reports. The conditional fines ” would only be enforced if the defendants commit future crimes.”

Egypt has so far managed to keep its economic interests away from its foreign political disputes. Mostly.

Egypt’s High Administrative Court approved on Monday a decision of dissolving the Muslim Brotherhood group, stating that the group is already banned.

In a meeting with Middle Eastern and North African general prosecutors in Cairo on Wednesday, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi once again stressed the importance of judicial independence, asserting that “no one can interfere with the work of the judiciary.”

In a ruling that complicates Egypt’s long-standing attempt to manage and confiscate Muslim Brotherhood funds, the Court of Cassation overturned on Tuesday a criminal court decision to list 296 people on Egypt’s “terrorist list,” according to lawyer Ahmed Abul Ela.

On February 3, Egyptian parliamentarians from Tahya Misr (“Support Egypt”), a coalition supporting President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that comprises one-fifth of parliament, submitted a proposal to amend the Egyptian constitution. Two days later, the General Committee accepted the proposed amendments, a preliminary step that opens the way for a parliamentary …