Bahrain Mirror: The Bahraini Bar Association criticized the way the current courts operate and rejected the speed of action on the cases and the short periods between hearings that exhaust lawyers. It also demanded in a press release granting the Association broader powers, converting them into a union and involving them in the decision-making process by allowing them representation in the Supreme Judicial Council.

The Association's chairman, lawyer Hassan Badawi, said that the 1,222 attorneys working in the legal profession reject the situation that the courts have come to and demand that the Bahrain Bar Association be given more powers following the footsteps of the State of Kuwait and other Arab countries.

During the open meeting on February 16, 2019, the lawyers stressed on the necessity to amend the Bar Act so that they have the legal authority to protect lawyers and the profession of lawyers in Bahrain, stated the Association, adding that they demanded having the right to register and be promoted in the bar of lawyers, all under the supervision of the judiciary and that lawyers also have the right to access information and facilitate their work.

The lawyers also demanded that they have the right to be represented in the Supreme Judicial Council and participate in decisions taken by the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs or the Public Prosecution in procedural matters concerning their work before the courts, the Public Prosecution or any other relevant official bodies.

The Association also criticized the decisions and procedures issued by the Department of Execution of Verdicts, the Complaints Department and the Accounts Department, and said that they go against the guaranteed constitutional right of litigation and the rights of litigants.

The Association considered that the fact the Supreme Judiciary Council promptly ruling in cases in very short periods of time comes at the expense of justice and the truth. "The situation has become catastrophic for judges and lawyers, as the rulings and their accumulation in the Court of Cassation are now proof of that," the statement said.

The statement also criticized the lack of staff in the courts and lack of their rehabilitation and training in terms of speed and accuracy.

The lawyers addressed the political leadership saying that they should take their situation into consideration: "We do not accept what is currently happening with hasty careless current steps and decisions being taken without taking our opinion as lawyers," and appealed to the House of Representatives and Shura Council to quickly discuss a draft law for the Bar Act, which has been put away in drawers for ten years.

Arabic Version