Former reformist judge Zakaria Abdel Aziz (Photo:Ahram Arabic news website)
Prominent reformist judge and former head of Egypt's Judges Club Zakaria Abdel-Aziz was forced into retirement by a disciplinary committee formed by the court of appeals on Monday for "storming" the State Security headquarters in March 2011.
On 5 March 2011, shortly after the downfall of the Mubarak regime, Abdel-Aziz was among several prominent figures who attempted to convince protesters who seized documents from the State Security headquarters in Cairo to hand them over to the army.
Reports that former State Security apparatus officers were shredding documents that could be used to expose violations of human rights during the Mubarak era sparked similar attempts by demonstrators to storm State Security headquarters in Alexandria and other cities between 4 and 6 March.
The reformist judge played a leading role in the reformist judicial independence movement in 2005-7 during Mubarak's rule.
Abdel-Aziz is also well-known for his support of the 25 January uprising that toppled the Mubarak regime.
The committee that decided to force Abdel-Aziz into retirement has not yet issued its reasons for doing so.
A video clip that circulated on social media at the time showed Abdel-Aziz at the headquarters urging groups of people to surrender the documents to army officers who had seized control of the building.
The committee previously sent a number of judges into retirement for political affiliations in the past two years, including prominent reformist judges.
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