DAMMAM, 4 June 2003 — After journalists, it is now the turn of lawyers. According to a source at the Ministry of Justice, an association of Saudi lawyers is to be formed soon to protect their rights and interests.
Until recently no professional associations or organizations existed in the Kingdom. But last year the government gave the green signal to journalists to form an association, and the authorities have now given the nod to lawyers to set up an association of their own.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Hotan, director-general of Legal Profession Management, said discussion of the formation of an association of lawyers had been going on for some time.
He said experts were working on the details of the association and once all the modalities were finalized, the formation of the organization would be formally announced. He was speaking at a symposium at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday.
Al-Hotan said Legal Profession Management would study the problems faced by legal professionals, adding that lawyers would get more exposure. “There will be greater public awareness about lawyers,” he added.
Saudi Arabia has adopted a series of reforms over the last few years. Dato Param Cumaraswamy, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, visited the Kingdom last October. Cumaraswamy said he had obtained a commitment from the Saudi government for the ratification of two “major international” human rights covenants on civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights. He praised Saudi Arabia for ratifying three international conventions but urged the government to speed up reforms to the justice system.
Cumaraswamy said that the legal system in Saudi Arabia was improving while undergoing substantial changes both structurally and procedurally. However, he was surprised to find, he said, that only 67 lawyers have so far been registered in the country and they did not have an association or a bar council to serve their interests.
