Egypt Retires 31 Judges for Opposing Islamist Mohamed Morsi’s Ouster

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s state-run news agency says the top judicial disciplinary council has rejected appeals by 31 judges who were forced into early retirement for rejecting the military overthrow of an Islamist president.

MENA said Monday that the judges are members of the “Judges for Egypt” movement, which opposed the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood. The group is accused of having violated impartiality rules by getting involved in politics.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi led the military overthrow of Morsi in July 2013.

Some of the judges read a televised statement supporting Morsi’s “legitimacy” while at a sit-in by his supporters in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya square. Security forces killed hundreds of protesters when they dispersed the sit-in in August 2013.