Lebanon’s Judges Announce Open Strike to Reject ‘Oppression, Humiliation’

Lebanese police stand outside the Justice Palace in Beirut. Photo: Reuters
Lebanese police stand outside the Justice Palace in Beirut. Photo: Reuters
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Lebanon’s Judges Announce Open Strike to Reject ‘Oppression, Humiliation’

Lebanese police stand outside the Justice Palace in Beirut. Photo: Reuters
Lebanese police stand outside the Justice Palace in Beirut. Photo: Reuters

Judges announced an open strike to denounce their deteriorating financial and social conditions and reject “oppression and humiliation” faced by the Lebanon’s Judiciary.

Senior judges have joined the strike, including members of the Supreme Judicial Council, others in the Audit Bureau and the State Shura Council.

In comments, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, asserted that the judiciary would not abandon its responsibilities and would remain the main pillar of state building.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, a judge, who helped organize the strike, said that the judiciary was facing “a harsh war, starting with political interference.”

“It is no longer acceptable to undermine the judiciary and the dignity of judges,” he said.

In addition to the severe financial conditions faced by the judges as a result of the devaluation of the national currency and the sharp deterioration of the purchasing power, the palaces of justice are plunged into darkness due to long hours of power cuts, in addition to water shortages and the failure to clean offices and courts.

“Officials must understand that the judiciary is an authority parallel to the legislative and executive powers, and not just an administration and employees,” the judge said, adding that no country could revive without an independent judiciary free from political pressure and interference.

Abboud, for his part, stressed that the judges were raising righteous and justified demands, denouncing “the tragic conditions and circumstances that the judicial body is experiencing at all levels.”

He noted, however, that the Judicial Council would assume its responsibilities and work to address all the problems facing judges, within the institutional framework, emphasizing that the judiciary would remain “the main pillar in the structure of the state.”



Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
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Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed.

The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice," Sharaa said in a statement, AFP reported.

The attack "reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability", he added.

Condemnation has continued to pour in from the international community after the attack -- the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor, in a country where security remains one of the new authorities' greatest challenges.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.