Egyptian prosecutor fights President’s order to quit

Egypt’s prosecutor general has defied an order from President Mohammed Morsi to step down.

Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud was told to leave his position after the acquittal this week of 24 defendants accused of manslaughter and attempted murder during last year’s uprising.

Mr Mahmoud said he was “upset” by the order and told Egypt’s official news agency he would remain in his post.

President Morsi appears to have acted to appease public anger over the acquittal of loyalists of former president Hosni Mubarak who had been accused of organising attacks on demonstrators in Cairo last year. They had allegedly sent men on camels and horses to break up the protest, leaving several people dead.

Mr Mahmoud was widely seen as having failed to present a strong case against the accused. Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Cairo against the acquittals, and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement to which President Morsi belongs, has organised more protests for today.

However, Egyptian law protects the prosecutor general from being ousted by the president and a judges’ club has called an emergency meeting to protest about Mr Morsi’s ruling. Ahmed el-Zind, the head of the association of judges, said “This is a farce ... we will not bow,” adding “the era of tyrants is over”.