[JURIST] As many as 300 reformist judges in Egypt who have called for more judicial independence [JURIST report] from the government led by President Hosni Mubarak [official profile] staged a silent protest in front of the High Court Thursday as hundreds of protesters cheered. Though protesters were greatly outnumbered by riot police, the demonstration unfolded without the violent confrontations [JURIST report] with police seen earlier in the month.

The protests have centered on two Egyptian judges who complained of alleged fraud in last year’s parliamentary elections [JURIST report] and later faced charges and on the recent extension of emergency laws [JURIST report] in effect since the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat [CNN profile]. VOA has more.