Thousands of Egyptian lawyers staged demonstrations on Monday to protest proposed amendments to a new judiciary authority law.

Describing the amendments as “null and void,” angry protesters amassed outside the Lawyers Syndicate in downtown Cairo. “Young lawyers are united,” they chanted. “The people demand the purge of the judiciary.”

Lawyers later moved their demonstration to the nearby High Court and Judges Club headquarters.

Protesters demand the removal of all articles of the draft law that might impinge on lawyers' immunity. They particularly object to Article 18, which states that lawyers can be slapped with a five-year jail sentence for “actions considered to be harmful to judges.” The same article also grants judges the authority to detain lawyers in courtrooms if they are seen as disrupting trial proceedings.

An emergency meeting convened by the Lawyers Syndicate’s general assembly also rejected the new amendments, including articles 18, 132, 133 and 134. Assembly members demanded that a final decision on the draft law be postponed until after parliamentary polls are held and a new national constitution drawn up.

The controversy over the new draft law has raged for the last two weeks, with lawyers staging protests across Egypt. Lawyers have also called limited labour strikes in a number of cities – including Aswan, Sharqiya, Gharbiya, Mansoura and Fayoum – bringing courtroom activity to a halt in many parts of the country.