Egyptian court overrules decree that empowered military to arrest civilians

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood are having a sit-in in Tahrir for the eighth day today, with demands that the the supplementary Constitutional Declaration made by the Supreme Council of the Army (SCAF) will be cancelled and the decision to dissolve Parliament be rescinded.

The Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court on Tuesday has blocked the recent decree that enabled military police to arrest civilians.  It was greeted by various politicans and human rights advocates as a positive step that limits somewhat the almost unlimited powers of the military,  after the recent abolishment of parliament and the addenda the SCAF issued to the constitution.
 Prominent human rights lawyer Gamal Eid was relieved over the latter verdict. "The ruling put the military where it belongs - back in the barracks. It was issued with the intention of serving the military only, '' he told Al-Ahram Online. 
The Supreme Administrative Court put off four rulings, which covered the fate of the new constitutional addendum, the defunct People’s Assembly, the Shura Council (the parliament’s upper house) that might well be dissolved on the same grounds that saw the other parliamentary chamber dismantled, and the Constituent Assembly which is jeopardised as a result of the parliament’s being un-constitutional. The decree that empowered military police to arrest civilians, however, was overruled. Three of the postponed cases will be judged next month. The the trial of the Constituent Assembly, however,  was adjourned until 4 September, which might give the assembly’s members a respite to fulfil its task. The Assembly held its third meeting on Tuesday. It has yet to agree on its work methodology.

Morsi meeting Coptic bishops

 Other news is that president Morsi intends to have a woman and a Copt as his vice-presidents. Ahmed Deif, a policy advicers to Morsi, told CNN: One of the first decisions will be appointing different vice-presidents. One of them will be a woman, for the first time in Egyptian history.  Also, he has decided to appoint a Christian vice-president.' Morsi also made it known that he will break with the habit that all government offices are required top post his portrait. He himself, meanwhile is meeting possible candidates for governemnt positions. He says he aims at a broad based non-political governement.
On my Dutch blog I posted an item about rumours and false rumours and accusations that accompany his apearance on the stage.  The 'interview' Morsi supposedly gave to the Iranian news agency Fars in which he said that he wanted to restore ties with Iran, was almost certaintly  fake (click here for evidence given by Radio Free Europe). Also the website of Fox News smeared him by posting a video of the radical cleric Safwat Hegazy calling for 'millions of martyrs to march towards Jerusalem', while suggesting that it was actually Morsi who said so.