Months after hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets of Cairo to topple the regime of Hosni Mubarak, Notaries took to the streets to demand independence from the government.
Civilian Notaries in Egypt function as part of the Ministry of Justice and deal with business and financial activities. They are separate from religious Notaries — known as maazun — who handle marriage-related issues.
In recent weeks, thousands of Egyptian government Notaries picketed Ministry offices and staged sit-ins to demand that they be allowed to become an independent judicial body, according to local media reports. Negotiations have hit an impasse and the Notaries are threatening to resume striking unless their demands are met.
If the work stoppage resumes, it would likely disrupt many business and personal transactions, including trade deals with U.S.-based organizations.