KUWAIT CITY, July 4: The proposed appointment of women to the Kuwaiti judiciary is in line with the Constitution and the law, reports Al-Jarida daily quoting Deputy Chairman of the Cassation Court and the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Faisal Al-Murshid.
Affirming that Kuwait approved the proposal in the recently-concluded human rights convention in Geneva, Al-Murshid said there is no legal or constitutional text banning the appointment of female judges in Kuwaiti courts. He disclosed an agreement has been reached to transfer inspectors from the General Investigation Department to the Public Prosecution. He pointed out there are more than 200 female inspectors and prosecutors in the department; hence, the transfer is tantamount to appointing women to the judiciary because the Public Prosecution is a judicial institution.
Al-Murshid went on to say, “We welcome women to the judiciary. They can start in the lower ranks and gradually reach higher posts provided they meet the conditions. For example, one can initially work as prosecutor in the Juvenile and Personal Affairs Prosecution Section, and then later as judge in the Family, Juvenile, Commercial and other courts.”
In response to the query of MP Dr Maasouma Al-Mubarak on the number of judges who have been subjected to disciplinary action, Al-Murshid clarified the Supreme Judicial Council has yet to receive the lawmaker’s question. He confirmed the local courts work in accordance with the law and have no qualms in taking the necessary disciplinary action against any erring judge.
Meanwhile, MP Dr Aseel Al-Awadhi argued even if the Kuwaiti women have had remarkable achievements over the last few years, particularly their political rights, there is still a lot to be done to achieve gender equality.
On the other hand, MP Mohammad Hayef believes the proposal is illogical, asserting Kuwait should not be forced to implement all the recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Council. “We should not agree on all the suggestions of the council. Suppose it calls for granting rights to gays, definitely we will not comply because this is against the principles of Islam and the Kuwaiti traditions. The council must take into consideration the Islamic Sharia when presenting recommendations,” he concluded.