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.”
