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.

: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi appointed Judge Saeed Marie as head of the Supreme Constitutional Court to succeed former Head Hanafi Ali al-Jibali, granting him a rank of minister.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi swore in the heads of two top judicial bodies over the weekend following constitutional amendments passed in April that granted the president increased power over the selection process allegedly as part of his ongoing fight against terrorism.

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.

As protests spread across the Arab world in 2011, Egypt became a beacon of hope in the region. But this glimmer of light quickly dimmed, rights groups say, pointing to a widespread crackdown on dissent, with recent constitutional amendments only deepening the country’s human rights woes.

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.

Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) on Sunday has ruled that the second paragraph of article 6 for the law on Egyptian nationality is unconstitutional.

Among the proposed amendments to Egypt’s Constitution currently making their way through Parliament is an unprecedented change to the defined role of the Armed Forces in the country. In all nine constitutions* since Egypt’s first in 1882, the military’s role was limited to a single task: protecting the country and …

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.”

Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court on Saturday abolished any government’s authority to dissolve NGOs, according to the state’s MENA news agency.