Cairo court suspends army’s right to arrest civilians

A Cairo court has suspended the Egyptian army’s power to arrest civilians.

The case was filed by rights groups following a decree issued this month by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces.

Egypt’s military rulers made the move after their right of arrest was scrapped following the lifting of decades-old emergency laws.

This Muslim Brotherhood official, who was elected to the recently dissolved lower house of parliament, called that decree “a clear misuse of power.”

The ruling military council also recently declared it would reduce the presidency’s powers and play a key role in drafting a new constitution.

That has angered the Brotherhood, which sees it as nothing more than a military coup aimed at sidelining its winning presidential candidate, Mohammed Morsy.

Morsy narrowly beat ex-prime minister Ahmed Shafik and will take office on June 30.

Shafik quit the country on Tuesday after prosecutors opened a corruption investigation into his eight year tenure as civil aviation minister.

He is now in the United Arab Emirates, where former Mubarak-era officials have previously sought exile.

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