Egypt's justice minister has resigned in protest at what he sees as undue interference in the judicial process by the country's Islamist-led government.
Previously considered an Islamist sympathiser, Ahmed Mekky's resignation came just a day after supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood engaged in violent protests in favour of "purifying" the judiciary.
It also precedes a week in which parliament is expected to debate a law that critics fear will give the government too much power over the hiring and firing of top judges.
The judiciary is one of several bones of major contention in contemporary Egypt. Supporters of the government say it is still mainly staffed by judges loyal to the old Mubarak regime.
For example, President Mohamed Morsi's divisive decision to grant himself temporary authoritarian powers last November was needed – his supporters said – to ward off their malevolent interventions.
By contrast, opposition politicians and activists argue that Islamists are themselves interfering too much in the courts.
The new attorney general, appointed in controversial circumstances last December, is seen by the opposition as a Brotherhood patsy.