JEDDAH, 5 December 2007 — The disciplinary committee at the Ministry of Justice in Riyadh is scheduled to conduct a closed-door hearing today involving the lawyer in the controversial “Qatif Girl” rape trial.
A three-member panel consisting of two judges and a lawyer will review a complaint by a state prosecutor that accuses Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, a 36-year-old Saudi lawyer and human rights activist, of “misrepresenting legal subjects through the media to confuse the judicial establishment’s image and thus harming the country,” according to a copy of the summons obtained by Arab News.
The summons also refers to Al-Lahem’s involvement representing a forcefully divorced couple, another much-publicized case. The charge stems from Al-Lahem’s statement that the judges’ verdict in forcefully divorcing the couple at the behest of the woman’s half-brothers “would provoke tribalism and harm national unity.” Al-Lahem’s license was revoked on Nov. 14 at the Qatif General Court while Al-Lahem was representing his 20-year-old client who was kidnapped and gang-raped by seven men last year.
Before the hearing started Judge Saad Al-Mohanna, one of the three judges on the panel, confiscated Al-Lahem’s law license and told him that the judicial committee had decided to suspend him from the case.
Al-Lahem told Arab News that he would not be present at today’s hearing. According to Saudi law, Al-Lahem can assign another attorney to represent him unless the committee subpoenas him.
Attorney Khaled Al-Mutairi will represent Al-Lahem today at the disciplinary hearing to argue that the judge had no right to strip Al-Lahem of his license to practice law.
“That’s the job of the disciplinary committee and a ministry prosecutor,” said Al-Mutairi.
Mohammed Khonain has been assigned to prosecute the charges against Al-Lahem.
