Egyptian security beat protesters in Cairo

CAIRO
Egyptian security forces beat activists on Thursday and detained and attacked journalists during a protest in support of judges who faced a disciplinary committee for criticizing election abuses last year.

Activists organized at least three separate demonstrations in central Cairo but in each case plainclothes security men moved in, hitting and dragging away selected protesters.

Thousands of riot police, armed with sticks and shields, sealed off main streets near the High Court, disrupting traffic in the heart of the capital.

One of the largest protests was by some 300 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition group.

A Brotherhood spokesman said police held a total of 300 activists during the morning's events in Cairo. Police sources said eight people had been formally detained.

The protesters gathered quietly around the corner from the court to escape the attention of security forces and then began chanting "Judges, judges, save us from the tyrants!"

They marched for some 15 minutes before teams of plainclothes security attacked the leaders, pulling them to the pavement and beating them with fists. One activist was held against a wall and beaten until his face bled heavily.

Plainclothes policemen also detained at least six journalists covering the protest, a Reuters witness said.

They dragged away cameramen from news organizations including Reuters and Al Jazeera television and confiscated their cameras. An Al Jazeera cameraman was badly beaten.

Demonstrators dispersed when the security forces began their crackdown. Some managed to regroup to continue chanting.

The protesters included supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and secular activists. "Down, down with Hosni Mubarak," they chanted, in reference to Egypt's president.

FEAR OF VIOLENCE

Shops closed their shutters in Talaat Harb street, one of the downtown area's main streets, for fear of violence.

The two judges, Mahmoud Mekky and Hesham Bastawisi, face charges of violating judiciary rules by talking on television about abuses in last year's elections.

They have also been prominent in a campaign by the informal Judges Club to obtain full financial and administrative independence from the Ministry of Justice.

The two judges refused to attend the hearing and withdrew to the Judges Club nearby because the disciplinary committee would not let in judges allied to them. The hearing went ahead in their absence but was adjourned until next Thursday.

Judges say the ministry has used its control of salaries, bonuses and disciplinary proceedings to influence judges.

The confrontation has been brewing since last year when the Judges Club threatened to refuse to supervise presidential and parliamentary elections. They later backed down but released reports of widespread abuses and fraud in counting.

Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party maintained its control of parliament in the legislative elections and he won Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential poll to secure a fifth six-year term.
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