Lawyers across Egypt staged coordinated protests outside primary courts on Wednesday in opposition to “automation fees”, according to a post by the Lawyers Syndicate.
The fees, introduced by courts of appellate courts, are charged for issuing official certificates, reviewing legal document bundles, and obtaining final verdict copies.
In mid-May, the Lawyers Syndicate announced a new round of escalation measures against the “automation fees.” These included a boycott of criminal court sessions nationwide on May 18 and 19, followed by protests scheduled at all primary courts on May 29 and again on June 18. The syndicate also called for a general assembly meeting to be held on June 21.
“Most lawyers adhered to the escalation measures declared by the Syndicate,” said Rabie El-Malwany, a board member of the Lawyers Syndicate. He added that only a small number broke ranks, prompting the syndicate to suspend their union services and issue formal warnings.
Photos shared by the Syndicate's official Facebook page showed protesters gathered in front of courts in several governorates including Minya, Sohag, North Sinai, Kafr El Sheikh, Tanta, Menoufiya, Dakahliya, New Cairo, Alexandria, Beheira, Matrouh, and Giza.
Demonstrators held signs rejecting the fee increases and asserting that access to the judiciary is a constitutional right. Some denounced the Court of Appeals' decision as invalid, stressing that only parliament can legislate such fee changes.
In a statement published Wednesday, Syndicate President Abdel Halim Allam urged unity, saying, “This phase requires cohesion and commitment to what serves the nation and safeguards the dignity of the syndicate and the legal profession.”
El-Malwany confirmed that mobilization would continue until the general assembly, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, at the Lawyers Syndicate's headquarters at 49 Ramses Street in Cairo.
The syndicate has conditioned any rollback of its protest call on an official announcement by the heads of appellate courts reversing the “unconstitutional” measures.
The Syndicate also called on its branches to hold additional protests at all primary courts on May 29 and June 18 from 1 pm to 2 pm.
Last week, El-Malwany expressed cautious optimism after Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council invited the Syndicate President for talks. However, on Wednesday, the Presidents of the Appeal Courts Council announced the establishment of a formal office to receive citizen complaints regarding the fees.
“Out of its keenness to alleviate burdens on litigants, particularly in cases of a humanitarian and social nature,” the council declared a 50% reduction in digital services fees for family and labor cases, capping charges at 250 Egyptian pounds ($5), and a maximum of 500 pounds ($10) for all other cases, regardless of the number of documents or procedures.
The crisis began in early March when Mohamed Nasr Sayed, head of the Cairo Courts of Appeal, issued a decision imposing a new 33-pound ($0.66) “portfolio review fee” per document submitted. Additional charges for services like issuing certificates rose to 60.5 pounds while obtaining an executable copy of a judgment now costs 242 pounds, according to Syndicate board member Rabie El-Malwany.
On March 8, the Lawyers Syndicate publicly rejected the fees, arguing they contradicted constitutional guarantees of access to justice. In a statement, the syndicate criticized the lack of consultation before imposing the charges, noting that lawyers, as an integral part of the judicial system under the constitution, were excluded from discussions.
