Rights groups say Egypt's army rulers have used military courts to imprison as many as 14,000 civilians as they try to deal with follow-up waves of street protests since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

They say the trials, held behind closed doors, were a common practice under Mubarak and their continued use shows how far Egypt has to go to guarantee the rule of law.

The ruling generals say the military trials are a temporary but necessary measure to deal with a wave of disorder and an increase in criminality following Mubarak's ouster.

"General Adel al-Morsy, head of the Military Justice Commission, said that civilians will no longer be tried in military courts after the emergency law is lifted," the official news agency MENA reported.

The protest was called for Friday by several opposition groups and activists trying to maintain pressure on the army to fulfil its promise to end a culture of official impunity under Mubarak and move swiftly to fair elections and civilian rule.

Global Arab Network

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