Saudi Shura Council refuses to appoint female judges

For the second time in two years, the Saudi Shura Council has rejected a proposal to appoint women as judges in the Personal Status Court.

Member of the council, Latifa Al-Shaalan, said on Wednesday that the Council had blocked the second attempt to study a recommendation to appoint women as judges.

Al-Shaalan added that the kingdom’s justice system “does not” prohibit the appointment of women as judges.

نظام القضاء السعودي لايشترط الذكورة. فقد نصت المادة الـ(31) منه على شروط تولي القضاء، كأن يكون سعودي الجنسية بالأصل، وحسن السيرة والسلوك، ومتمتعًا بالأهلية الكاملة، ونحو ذلك من شروط تتعلق بالمؤهل العلمي، ولكن لا شيء في النظام البتة يشير إلى الذكورة كشرط لتولي القضاء https://t.co/RPfN4WKucs

— لطيفة الشعلان (@LatifahAshaalan) June 17, 2020

Two years ago, the Saudi Shura Council blocked a similar recommendation to appoint women as judges with only 53 of the 150 council’s members voting in favour of the proposal.

The first recommendation called to “empower competent Saudi women who are legally and religiously qualified to hold the position of judge” in general while the second recommendation called to empower women to work directly as judges in the Personal Status Courts.

READ: Turkey appoints first hijab-wearing public prosecutor